National Security Policy

National Security Policy

O B L is O U T

Is Osama bin Laden (OBL), still relevant in today’s world? OBL just recently released a new audio tape, explaining to his followers that they must be ready for a long drawn out war against the West. The only bit of new propaganda coming out of OBL was a call for Muslims around the world to fight the west in Darfur. If you look at what some of these leaders inside these countries have said about OBL and his call to “help them” you may start to wonder if he is indeed a player in the Muslim world. If OBL is not a key player than, should the U.S. change its current policy on not only capturing him but on the way we conduct business in the Middle East? It seems like OBL’s isolation from current events is moving him away from the main stream with in the Middle East. Look at what some of these Middle Eastern leaders have said about the new audio tape.

"Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, said the group's ideology was "totally different" from that of bin Laden and al-Qaeda. "What Osama bin Laden said is his opinion, but Hamas has its own positions which are different to the ones expressed by bin Laden," he said.

"One of Darfur’s two main rebel groups rejected Al-Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden’s call on Muslims to fight the "crusaders" in the western Sudanese region, warning it could encourage Khartoum to step up its repression."

"His words are completely disconnected from the reality in Darfur. Bin Laden is still preaching the theory of an American-Zionist conspiracy when the real problem comes from Khartoum, which is a Muslim government killing other Muslims," Hussein said."

Sure these are only two groups out of many, and the common man on the street would agree with OBL. I also know that some people would think OBL is more dangerous now that he needs headlines to keep his cause going, or that President Bush needs OBL head, in order to save his Presidency, but it does bring an old saying to mind “all politics are local”. So maybe the U.S. should rethink it foreign policy.

Quotes from Washington post