With Osama bin Laden Dead, What's Next?

Paul Manley was in the Pentagon when the plane hit. The retired United States Air Force colonel, talking with a business partner in a coffee shop about a new software upstart the day after the President announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed, recalled standing in the parking lot as the headquarters for the country’s entire defense network burned.

Now 60 and living in Locust, Manley is only a few years removed from active post-Sept. 11 duty in the Middle East. When he first heard the news Monday morning, he said his first feeling was elation. Just a few hours into the day, Manley began to consider the past decade and future ramifications of bin Laden’s death.

Nothing is ever simple. As many problems as bin Laden’s death may help resolve, the reality is that new problems may arise, Manley said. Though he’s sure bin Laden’s death, ultimately, will save lives, it’s still difficult, even for a man who has spent a lifetime serving the military, to know what will happen.

“The point is,” Manley said. “This guy’s been loose for a long time. And there’s no doubt he was still the nexus to the command structure of Al-Qaeda. Certainly he wanted to plan more things.”

But, what his death actually means is still up for debate. Following President Barack Obama’s announcement late Sunday night, thousands took to the streets in a macabre celebration, waving flags and chanting “USA” United State’s number one enemy had been brought to justice, but what had changed was still unknown. As of Monday morning our troops had not come home and we were still at war. Throughout Red Bank, most residents talked with a sense of worry, and wondered what negative side effects would result.

Manley, now degrees removed from the inner workings of the country’s military defense, now counts himself among those residents. Still, his decades of experience grant him a bit more perspective on the matter.

“I think Al-Qaeda’s power, in general, has gone down because they’ve been on the run; on the run because of our involvement in Afghanistan. But, there’s still the whole problem with Pakistan,” he said. “(Bin Laden) could have been, for all we know, six months away from something big, we just don’t know. But, we do know that he’s gone now, so you have to feel somewhat better.”

Manley said he was discussing with his associate just where bin Laden ranked among history’s evil entities. His friend scoffed when Manley compared bin Laden to Adolf Hitler, but Manley qualified his statement. If bin Laden had the power and resources of Hitler, there’s no doubt he would have used them to kill as many people as he possibly could, he said.

Manley’s hope is that the killing of bin Laden has thrown his terrorist group into disarray, or at worst weakened them.

“There are still terrorist networks out there, there is still an Al-Qaeda,” he said. “I hope (Al-Qaeda) take it as a setback and not a martyrdom. It certainly won’t end terrorism, but I hope it limits some of their capabilities.

“I hope it makes them feel like this is one they can’t win.”