Of all the images that followed the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 (9/11), some of the most disturbing were contained on the videotapes showing Osama bin Laden and members of his Al Qaeda organization rejoicing over their "victory" and the success of their assault. There is no doubt that in the context of mass murder, bin Laden was highly successful. He was clearly victorious in demonstrating beyond any doubt his utter contempt for the standards of conduct common to all civilized peoples. In the final analysis however, history will consign him to the gallery of monsters whose unmitigated cruelty provides us with only one more tangible example of evil.

This was no victory.

Interestingly, the dramatic impact of 9/11's tactical success may have obscured the reality of its fundamentally strategic failure. Bin Laden's past statements and activities support the idea that he organized the 9/11 attacks as part of a master plan designed to place him in a position of hegemonic influence over a global Islamic community of his own fundamentalist design. Ironically, bin Laden not only failed to create the world he wanted, he actually set in motion the events that are building the very world he fears.

His failure is an outgrowth of critical miscalculations about both the American character and the scope of his support in the greater non-radical Muslim community. Bin Laden's most probable strategic goal in the 9/11 attack was to commit an act so horrendous that it would trigger a massive US retaliation. He no doubt believed the response would be impulsive, violent and directed indiscriminately against the world wide Islamic community. In bin Laden's plan, the hoped-for act of wholesale American revenge would polarize the world into Muslim and non-Muslim camps, permitting him to become the de facto leader of a new, unified and radicalized Islamic world.

The scope of his failure is truly stunning. Bin Laden's fantasy of American blood lust simply did not materialize. In its place, the architects of the US response patiently built a well organized and proportionate military response within the rule of law; they sought the counsel and support of other world leaders, including many Muslims; they clearly and forcefully rejected anti-Muslim acts both internationally and domestically; they provided humanitarian aid to those already affected by bin Laden's political tyranny and organized an international, multi-sectoral, civil-military response unique in the history of international relations. Among American non-Muslims the attacks created a huge demand for accurate information about mainstream Islam. It is interesting to note that many bookstores reported difficulty in keeping up with the sudden demand for English translations of the Q'ran.

In addition, bin Laden's slaughter of innocents impelled many mainstream Muslims around the world to publicly and repeatedly reject his violence and re-affirm their faith as a moral doctrine rooted in compassion, civility, and social justice. This was especially true in Indonesia, Pakistan, and India whose aggregate populations contain nearly half of all Muslims. Although rarely illuminated by the American media, it is no secret that bin Laden's zeal for destruction is focused on the world's mainstream Muslim communities to almost the same degree it is on his other perceived enemies.

Bin Laden's carnage revealed the reality he tried so hard to hide: that he is a morally bankrupt ideologue whose grotesque caricature of Islam is nothing more than a megalomaniacal variation on the theme of fundamentalist intolerance. Like other forms of radical religious fundamentalism, it represents only those who turn to violence in a desperate attempt to compensate for their lack of earnest moral legitimacy. The causes for bin Laden's failure are surprisingly simple. He wanted the world to believe he represents Islam; he thought the greater Muslim community would join him; he thought America would prefer vengeance to the rule of law. It seems safe to conclude that he doesn't, they won't, and we don't.

Clearly, there are no simple answers for the problem of terrorism, but in a recent interview former Norwegian Ambassador and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Thorvald Stoltenberg made the following comment on the role of poverty: " Poverty gives birth to violence, and violence has taken new dimensions never seen before... The world has always had poverty. The new twist is that since we now live in a world of information and communication, for the first time poor people around the world are aware of how those in rich nations live, and that creates strong reactions."

The helplessness, hopelessness and desperation created by chronic poverty is clearly a critical issue, but chronic poverty is far more that just the lack of money - it is a reflection of more substantive problems. It is incumbent upon developed nations of all faiths and political orientations to develop meaningful collaborative strategies to address the complex social, political and economic issues that keep the cycle of poverty in motion, particularly in those communities most vulnerable to the appeal of extremism.

The enormity of the 9/11 tragedies has created an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on bin Laden's failure and nurture the current pursuit of collaborative security. In the medium term much of that security will be a product of law enforcement and related military action. Unfortunately, military solutions are notoriously inadequate to solve larger political and social problems. In the longer term we must also leverage our capacities for diversity, compassion, collaboration and empowerment to seek more permanent solutions for those who feel they have no alternatives.

Clearly, the current threat of radical violence will be with us for the foreseeable future. In the final analysis however, bin Laden's master plan to drive a wedge between Islam and the West has energized a level of inter-cultural collaboration that was previously unthinkable. It may be important to remember that like any other radical philosophy based in violence, bin Laden's brand of extremism grows best in an environment of desperation.

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