Defense Expert: Terrorism Will Persist
ALLENDALE (WWJ) - Will Osama bin Laden's death end terrorism?
Speaking live on WWJ Newsradio 950, the Director of the Homeland Defense Initiative at Grand Valley State University, Professor Jonathan White, said he doesn't think so.
"If you think about the structure of modern terrorism, you need an aggrieved group of people ... and access weapons that can kill a number of people at one time. That means terrorism is here to stay," White said.
"bin Laden was a figurehead. The brains behind the operation would be Ayman al-Zawahiri and the affiliates of al-Qaida... (they) will still be operating. And we'll have a continuing operation going on for some time," he said.
White said the killing bin Laden is a victory for the United States, but added that many more victories are needed.
"Another aspect of terrorism is that it doesn't take place on a battlefield... I mean, there is a battlefield, of course, I take that back, because the attack area becomes a battlefield. But the battlefield itself is symbolic. The strategic aspects of the battle takes place in communicating that works, in the media," White said.
Hear WWJ's interview with Professor White:
