Kean and Hamilton's ignorance about Islam is astounding.
B http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/05/09/2011-05-09_winning_the_postbi n_laden_war.html Winning post-Bin Laden war: Tom Kean, Lee Hamilton of 9/11 Commission look to future of terror fight BY Tom Kean <http://www.nydailynews.com/authors/Tom%20Kean> AND Lee Hamilton <http://www.nydailynews.com/authors/Lee%20Hamilton> Monday, May 9th 2011, 4:00 AM The Associated Press Despite Bin Laden's death, America cannot let its guard down about potential terror attacks. Related News .Where is Osama bin Laden? U.S. zeros in on Chitral, Pakistan <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/03/14/2009-03-14_where_is_osa ma_bin_laden_us_zeros_in_on_.html> .Some pros say Bhutto slay could be inside job <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2007/12/30/2007-12-30_some_pros_sa y_bhuttos_assassination_coul.html> .Bin Laden pleads for Muslims to help Pakistan flood victims <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/10/01/2010-10-01_al_qaeda_leader _osama_bin_laden_pleads_for_muslims_to_help_pakistans_flood_victi.html> .Bin Laden occasionally sneaks into Afghanistan, WH says <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2009/12/07/2009-12-07_osama_bin_laden _slips_into_afghanistan_from_hideout_in_pakistan_obama_official_j.html> .Crouch: Obama can use a razor, too <http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/05/09/2011-05-09_obama_can_use_a_r azor_too.html> .Schindler: Who will be the next Bin Laden? <http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/05/08/2011-05-08_who_will_be_the_n ext_osama_bin_laden_top_counterterror_expert_sizes_up_the_candi.html> . The removal of Osama Bin Laden <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Osama+bin+Laden> as the head of Al Qaeda <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Al+Qaeda> is a historic achievement for the intelligence community, the military and the Obama administration <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Barack+Obama> . The Bush administration, too, deserves credit for its steadfast pursuit of Bin Laden after 9/11. For the families who lost loved ones on that terrible day, while we know their sense of loss will never go away, we hope that this event will bring them some comfort. But the conflict is not over; the work is not done. In the wake of the horrific attacks of 9/11, our commission was charged with recommending a set of reforms to improve American counterterrorism capabilities. As a result of these reforms, there is today much closer collaboration between intelligence and military components of the federal government and with state and local law enforcement. That appears to have paid dividends - as the CIA <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Central+Intelligence+Agency> , the National Security Agency <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/National+Security+Agency> and the military, among others, worked seamlessly together in locating Bin Laden's hiding place. And we may now be on the precipice of another major step forward, as the intelligence community analyzes computer hard drives and documents recovered from the compound. This trove of information may be even more important in the long run than his death. But we cannot let our guard down. While a 9/11-type attack is less likely today, Al Qaeda and its affiliates are persistent and their associations and tactics are diverse. They continue to have the intent and reach to kill dozens, or even hundreds, of Americans in a single attack. Indeed, U.S. citizens and residents have played increasingly prominent roles in Al Qaeda leadership and aligned groups. Some of these U.S.-based jihadist militants have been recruited by overseas terrorist groups; others have been inspired to engage in attacks on their own. Those so-called "lone wolves," who are not connected to formal terrorist organizations, are the most difficult to detect, in part because they do not fit any particular ethnic, economic, educational or social profile. The shooting death of Bin Laden in an urban area of Pakistan <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Pakistan> also raises many urgent questions. First, while Pakistan has cooperated with U.S. counterterrorism efforts, relations with Pakistan have been strained in recent years, with some U.S. officials openly skeptical about the Pakistanis' commitment to countering terrorist activity within their borders. The discovery of Bin Laden in a large compound adjacent to a Pakistani Army <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Pakistani+Armed+Forces> cantonment just a short distance from the Pakistani capital - and not in a remote area over which the government has limited control - demands answers. That having been said, this difficult and complex relationship with Pakistan must be managed, not dissolved, to advance our shared interests in countering terrorism and ending the war in Afghanistan <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Afghanistan> . A second set of key questions concerns who will succeed Bin Laden and the future of Al Qaeda. Ayman al-Zawahiri <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Ayman+al-Zawahiri> , Bin Laden's deputy and the man most likely to emerge as Al Qaeda's next leader, may not be the unifying force for the terrorist network that Bin Laden was for decades, but he is in his own right a ruthless and experienced leader who has been a key figure in the development and evolution of Al Qaeda. It would be a grave mistake to think that Al Qaeda died with Bin Laden. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Al+Qaeda+in+the+Arabian+Peninsula> , which only has a loose connection to Al Qaeda's core leadership, has become a highly menacing threat to the United States <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/United+States> . This group was behind the attempted 2009 Christmas Day bombing of a passenger plane bound for Detroit <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Detroit> . An American cleric now residing in Yemen <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Yemen> , Anwar al-Awlaki <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Anwar+al-Awlaki> , has a prominent role in AQAP. Individuals like him may emerge as leaders of the global violent Islamist extremist movement. A third issue to consider is how recent events in the Middle East <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Middle+East> - the so called Arab Spring - may counter the violent extremist agenda. Al Qaeda has been unsuccessful in its attempts to destabilize Arab governments and replace them with a Muslim caliphate that stretches across the region. Where Al Qaeda failed, peaceful protesters have succeeded through their grass-roots uprisings in achieving regime change and dramatic political reforms. But these revolutions are not without risks. If they falter and fail to build a new democratic world, Al Qaeda could emerge again. The current instability in Libya <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Libya> and elsewhere could serve as a breeding ground for groups aligned with Al Qaeda. Given what is at stake, we cannot afford to relax. Our nation must be vigilant to ensure the effectiveness of U.S. counterterrorism efforts both at home and abroad. Kean <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Tom+Kean> and Hamilton <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Lee+Hamilton> , chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/National+Commission+on+Terrorist+Attacks+ Upon+the+United+States> , are now co-chairmen of the Bipartisan Policy Center <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Bipartisan+Policy+Center> 's National Security Preparedness Group <http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/National+Security+Preparedness+Group> . 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