Al-Qaeda's opportunity to hurt the US
Al-Qaeda's self-appointed role as the inciter of jihad has contributed to a world that is much more afflicted with jihadism than it was in 1996, when Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States. From India, the Philippines and Thailand to Pakistan, Afghanistan and North Africa and the North Caucasus, jihadi movements flourish. Now al-Qaeda could accelerate the unraveling of the US financial system with a September 11-like attack in the continental United States. - Michael Scheuer