Not done yet

It might be argued that the death of Osama bin Laden by U.S.

special forces has a largely symbolic significance

It might be argued that the death of Osama bin Laden by U.S. special forces has a largely symbolic significance. He was no longer the operational leader of al-Qaida: that role had been ceded to his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri some years ago. And al-Qaida itself has become less a structured terrorist organization, more a brand, a loose and inchoate network of jihadists.

Even so, this man, more than any other, turned the opening years of the 21st century into the decade of terrorism ... forced all of us to change the way we live; they have disrupted our lives disproportionately.

For years, bin Laden and his acolytes have preached the perverted gospel that only through violent extremism could Muslims make their voices heard. Events in Tunisia, in Egypt and now in Libya have given the lie to that. Two governments have fallen and one is at bay through the power of street protest and mass dissent. Put simply, bin Laden had already been found out. Some fear that his death has created a martyr for the jihadist cause. Given the subdued response on the Arab "street" to his killing, that seems unlikely. The same fear was voiced when Saddam Hussein was executed - and who talks of him that way now?

The fear now is that the death of bin Laden will increase the pressure for a swift American withdrawal from Afghanistan. That should be resisted. The premature removal of US troops before Afghan security forces are ready to take over would open the possibility of terrorist training camps being re-established there. Hillary Clinton, the U.S. secretary of state, sent out precisely the right signal when she pointed out that the hunt for bin Laden demonstrated that when the U.S. started something, it would finish it. "You cannot wait us out. You cannot defeat us," she told the Taliban.

- The Telegraph, London