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At 20, al-Qaeda Is in Decline

Bin Laden's terror group enters third decade losing war, but 'legacy will endure'

By Caroline Zimmerman, Newser User

Posted Aug 17, 2008 3:46 PM CDT

(Newser) – Two decades after its founding, al-Qaeda's golden years are over, argues Peter Bergen in the Washington Post. Osama bin Laden's plan has largely backfired: 9/11 neither resulted in US withdrawal from the Middle East, or in the defeat of "impious" Middle Eastern regimes. But while al-Qaeda discredited itself in Iraq and jihadists are less centralized than in 2001, the organization still poses a threat to the West.

Most alarming is al-Qaeda Central's hold on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and the number of Muslim foreigners who have been traveling there. And while European Islamists are seldom linked to al-Qaeda, disenfranchised immigrants remain fertile ground for new recruits. Plus, bin Laden is still on the loose, effectively raising calls to arms in the media. The "legacy will endure, even after al-Qaeda is defeated," writes Bergen.

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

This undated photo shows al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. (Associated Press)

This image from video made available by IntelCenter, on Saturday, July 14, 2007, shows Osama bin Laden in a new videotape. (Associated Press)

This image released by al-Qaida's media unit as-Sahab and taken from a militant Web site shows an undated photo of Osama bin Laden. (Associated Press)

Three of fifteen Muslim men from a tense southern Serbian region are seen in Serbia's special court courtroom after they went on trial Monday, Jan.14, 2008, on terrorism charges. (Associated Press)

The commander of tribal militia Maulvi Nazir, center, speaks with media persons at Wana, the main town of Pakistans tribal region South Waziristan along Afghan border. (Associated Press)

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No matter what bin Laden's fate, Muslims around the world are increasingly taking a dim view of his group and its suicide operations. - Peter Bergen, fellow at NYU's Center on Law and Security

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At 20, al-Qaeda Is in Decline