The Conflict

In the 1990s Osama bin Laden and his organization al-Qaeda declared war against the United States and have been behind many of the worst terrorist acts of the last decade. On September 11, 2001, when hijackers flew passenger airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon buildings, killing thousands of civilians, bin Laden was almost immediately named the number one suspect by the United States. His organization, operating in secret cells throughout the world, is a difficult enemy to fight, and bin Laden's whereabouts remained unknown in the months after the attack.

Political

• After the war in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union, a powerful new radical Islamic movement was launched, directed specifically against certain political entities, such as Western powers.

Economic

• Since bin Laden has consciously broadened his message to appeal...