Presented by: The Death of bin Laden

Though it will not end the terrorist threat, the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden can only be viewed as a setback for global terrorism.

The hobbling of al-Qaida with the death of bin Laden is a potentially positive sign for the future of the War on Terror.

Brian Finlay, The Stimson Center

Evidence seized in the home in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where bin Laden was killed suggests that the al-Qaida leader had a larger role than previously thought in operational planning of terrorist attacks. Even this, however, was dwarfed by the motivational force he represented for extremists around the world. His death has not stopped the planning of attacks or the work to motivate recruits, but it surely was a great setback for the organization.

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