Bin Laden Goes Green
James Carafano /
Since running away at Tora-Bora, Bin Laden has mainly served as al Qaeda “propagandist in chief.” His main task is to make al Qaeda appear relevant. Osama spin is reflected through his video and audio tapes in two ways.
First, al Qaeda’s chief makes veiled and vague threats; that way if something happens he can take credit for it. If nothing happens, he doesn’t lose credibility.
Second, Bin Laden stays topical. He links al Qaeda’s goals and aspirations to events in the news. So, for example, when violence spiraled out of control in Iraq, he called the country—the central battleground for his cause. (On the other hand, when terrorists in the country got whacked right and left, he stopped talking about Iraq). More recently, Bin Laden tried to take credit for the attempted Christmas day bombing of a Detroit bound plane. (Though the group that launched the attack is linked to al Qaeda many doubt Bin Laden played any operational role). In his latest screed from his cave in Pakistan, Bin Laden attacked the United States over global warming.