November 19th, 2008 by Sarah

In Time Magazine, Robert Baer argues that whether Osama Bin Laden is alive or not is largely irrelevant. “But what if bin Laden really is dead, buried under a hundred tons of rock at Tora Bora or so weakened that he might as well be dead?…One day Obama will need to give up the hunt — declare bin Laden either dead or irrelevant. He has more important enemies to deal with, from Iran to Russia.”

Hanna Lundqvist at Democracy Arsenal disagrees. “Regardless of whether or not Osama bin Laden is dead or alive and if he is ever captured or killed, al Qaeda and like-minded groups remain a threat to the United States… Iran, Russia, and other enemies do not threaten the United States in such a direct manner, and would likely be emboldened by a U.S. withdrawal from the Af-Pak region and the fight against al Qaeda. Going after those who attacked us on 9/11 and those who continue to wish us harm can only be in our interest.”

Posted in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Taliban, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda |