The ongoing threat of al-Qaeda

In her Congressional testimony last week regarding the attack on an American consulate in Benghazi, Hillary Clinton said that the recent seizure of an Algerian gas plant and the ongoing conflict in northern Mali were “all part of a push by al-Qaeda to take advantage of political instability in northern Africa created by the Arab spring.”  Less than two years after the U.S. killed Osama bin Laden, these events as well as a presence in Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Syria indicate that al-Qaeda is alive and well.  In addition to the core group established by Bin Ladin, the organization now has increasing numbers of affiliate groups who have vowed to attack Western targets and implement Islamic states throughout the world. In this hour of Radio Times, we’ll explore the ongoing threat of the international terror network and talk about the challenges of defeating and confining their influence.  Our guest is DANIEL BYMAN of the Brookings Institute.

AP Photo/ Hadi Mizban