Politics

Reason Writers Around Town: Shikha Dalmia on Bin Laden's Death and America's Reputation Overseas

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In her latest column at The Daily, Reason Foundation Senior Analyst Shikha Dalmia notes that with Osama bin Laden dead, U.S. policy makers should face up to the fact that international terrorism is not the bane of our existence. The 9/11 attacks were an anomalous event that Osama pulled off because he got lucky. But incidents of international terrorism were declining before that awful September day and have continued to decline since. In fact, 2001 was in the bottom five least-active years for terrorists since 1976.

The shock and awe of 9/11 led American foreign policy astray for a decade, antagonizing the world. And in the long run, Dalmia writes, Operation Geronimo won't undo this damage to America's image abroad but will instead compound it:

America has further crossed a line by invading the sovereignty of a friendly nation with which it has full diplomatic ties without any advance notice…This can't help but make the world nervous.

It is time to call off the war, she says.

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