The year that was, 2011, was a momentous one for the U.S. intelligence community. The 17 agencies that are part of it had their share of public successes and failures, just like in any year. But 2011 was noteworthy because many of the events our intelligence professionals dealt with will affect how we engage the world for years to come.
Usama bin Laden’s death in May, and the subsequent death of the American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, both in intelligence-driven operations, dealt severe blows to the al Qaeda terrorist franchise. Although that group has certainly not been eliminated, it has been, at least for now, marginalized.
The withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq eased some of the demands on our military intelligence assets, but the advent of the popular movements in the Middle East known as the “Arab Spring” have made the need for robust political intelligence on that part of the world clearer than ever.
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