Zarqawi

First things first: The death of al-Zarqawi is unequivocally good news, both for the United States’ interests and for the Iraqi people who have suffered under his campaign of terror and random bombings. The important point is just how significant this news is. As I understand it, the organizational structure is both very hierarchical and very isolated. The former suggests that beheading the organization will severely weaken it, while the latter suggests a level of autonomy among terror cells that remains very concerning. It is foolish to suggest that Zarqawi obtained the cult of personality necessary to galvanize support for al-Qaeda single-handedly. Events in Israel and Palestine have certainly shown that often the only effect of killing a terrorist leader is a swift promotion of an underboss.

Basically, any elimination of a major leader of our enemies is a success worthy of mention. It is, however, far from the death blow that this country needs to turn the tide on the war.