Amin al-Zawahiri Has Been Killed

 

Amin al-Zawahiri has been killed by the United States. He was second in command of Al-Qaeda and  was successor to Osama Bin Laden in the leadership of the terrorist organization. Celebrations are not happening to the same degree like it was when Osama was killed. The 2011 announcement had Americans cheering in the streets. The reason for the muted response is that America has economic and political challenges. Al-Qaeda has lost much of its significance, with rival terrorist organizations  emerging. Radical political Islamism is not a unified movement. Terrorist groups will continue to exist and operate without their founders. The growth of  international terrorism has a direct link to US foreign policy and intervention in the Middle East. Afghanistan is once more under Taliban rule and Iraq remains unstable. Zawahiri's hatred of the US stemmed from the support of Israel and the authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. Jailed  under the Hosni Mubarak presidency, Zawahiri thought Egypt was falling under US domination. The reason people have joined these groups is to fight regimes that are US supported or occupied. This is why Al-Qaeda made an appearance in Iraq  after the removal of Saddam Hussein.  Drone strikes have killed the leadership, but the terrorist organizations were designed to function without them. As along as a permanent state of warfare continues and interference into the affairs of Arab nations occurs terrorist organizations will expand.