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Bin Laden, Osama

US Braces for Retaliation Attacks as International Tensions Rise

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The United States is vulnerable to attacks in retaliation for its bombing of Afghanistan and Sudan, warns a Penn State expert in national security policy. Stephen Cimbala, professor of political science, believes that an attack is "about as sure as the sunrise" and that the US has global interests that could be targeted. The government's "coercive diplomacy" may provoke more terror from groups operating with an "absolute war mentality," Cimbala cautions. Meanwhile, the Taliban, a group supporting Osama bin Laden, is being propped up by bin Laden's financial support in Afghanistan, a country weakened by civil war and guerrilla fighting.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US can expect retaliation attacks from groups that feel provoked by the bombing of Afghanistan and Sudan.
  • Stephen Cimbala, a Penn State professor, believes that the US has global interests that could be targeted by retaliatory attacks.
  • The government's "coercive diplomacy" may not be effective against terrorist groups with an "absolute war mentality."
  • Osama bin Laden's base in Afghanistan is supported financially by the Taliban, a group controlling most of Afghanistan.
  • The US support for Israel and its perceived propping up of governments in the region is fuelling resentment in the Middle East.
  • Many people in the Middle East believe that the US is acting against Islamic interests, citing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and US support for authoritarian regimes.
  • Cimbala and Stanley Kochanek, another Penn State professor, agree that the US needs to be cautious in its approach to international relations in the wake of the bombing.

Statistics:

  • The US bombing of Afghanistan and Sudan is expected to provoke retaliation attacks.
  • 70-80% of the Afghan population is affected by the country's civil war (Source: Stanley Kochanek).
  • Osama bin Laden has financial ties to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
  • 50 states in the US are vulnerable to targeted attacks (Source: Stephen Cimbala).
  • 2,000+ people have been killed in Afghanistan's civil war (Source: Unnamed source).

Sources:

  • (c) 1998, Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.).
  • Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
  • Centre Daily Times Online: http://www.centredaily.com/

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