Once the heartfelt emotion unleashed by the death of Osama
bin Laden and the deserved appreciation for the accomplishment of the U.S.
military, intelligence community, and Obama and Bush Administration officials
who made this possible passes, what will we be left with?
First, we will be left with the uncomfortable realization
that what has happened is the most important event of 2001. It changes almost nothing about today's
world. That which was a threat, remains a threat. The risks we faced in the Middle East and
elsewhere remain roughly as they were.
We are still leaving Iraq, still edging to the exit in Afghanistan
(albeit with a clearer "mission accomplished" sense about us...even if the Taliban,
al Qaeda, and other new extremist threats remain in the region). Countries rocked by unrest such as Libya and
Yemen, still contain threats from al Qaeda cells within and near to their
borders. And the biggest most important
national security concerns we have are totally unrelated to al Qaeda in
whatever form it exists today.
Second, I said it changes almost nothing. One thing that has clearly changed, whether
we are willing to acknowledge it or not, is our relationship with
Pakistan. Given the location in which bin
Laden was found, literally right under the noses of the Pakistani military and
the government, in a large, suspicious facility not an hour away from the
capital, our already dwindling trust for the Pakistanis, and in particular for
their intelligence service must now be acknowledged to have evaporated
altogether. While no doubt a number of
heroic and dependable true friends in Pakistan helped with this operation,
clearly others in very high places were behind protecting bin Laden for years
and years.
Further, the fact that we struck independently deep into the
heart of Pakistan will not sit well with many in that country, further
worsening the relationship.
Given that during the past few years Pakistan has reportedly
very dramatically increased their nuclear weapons arsenal, and that at best,
they are a schizophrenic ally -- and it is very hard to use that word without
gagging on it, we must today acknowledge that the greatest threat to U.S. security was not killed yesterday but instead
remains as it was, the country in which he died. That's not to say that it is the government
of Pakistan per se or even the majority of the Pakistani people, but rather the
threat lies with the tens of millions who are deeply hostile to us, the
extremists they cultivate, shelter, fund, and facilitate, and the elements
within the government who are perilously close to weapons that, should they
ever fall into the wrong hands, would pose a threat that will make us forget
today's celebrations very quickly.
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