Killing Osama bin Laden will not quash the terrorist threat from al Qaeda. The closest organizational relative to al Qaeda is perhaps a private multinational corporation. Bin Laden has operated as a venture capitalist by soliciting ideas from below, by encouraging creative approaches and out-of-the-box thinking, and by providing funding to those proposals he finds promising. The epic battle launched by bin Laden is not over. If anything, al Qaedas commitment and sense of purpose today are arguably greater than ever. |