June 7, 2012

Noteworthy

The Stalled Arab Spring

Writing in the National Interest, Aaron David Miller fears the wave of ‎revolutions across the Arab world cannot lead to democracy. ‎

Real power sharing requires a commitment by politicians and publics to a ‎national vision designed to further the common good and respected ‎institutions that govern political behavior. None of this is yet evident. ‎Instead, the Arabs have organized themselves into corporatist entities—‎military, tribes, Islamists of varying persuasions, minorities, Shia—each ‎determined to protect their own.‎

Can Al Qaeda recover? ‎

The death of Al Qaeda second in command Abu Yahya al-‎Libi in an American drone strike will have a significant ‎impact on the terrorist organization, write Sami Yousafzai and Ron Moreau for ‎the Daily Beast.

‎

Al-Libi’s death seems to have shaken al Qaeda militants and Taliban fighters ‎nearly as much as bin Laden’s did. U.S. officials tend to focus on al-Libi’s role ‎as a planner of attacks, a “general manager” who was responsible for al Qaeda’s ‎day-to-day operations, and as a gatekeeper for those who wanted to see or ‎communicate with the elusive and irascible Zawahiri. And it’s true that the ‎Libyan was a dangerous operational planner. But he also presided over al ‎Qaeda’s religious council, and his extremist admirers viewed him more as an ‎inspirational leader and motivator than as a field commander. That fact will make ‎him far more difficult for the terrorist group to replace than any of the No. 2’s and ‎‎3’s who preceded him.‎

Media Digest