Charles Pena writes decisively that it was not and is not. He concludes:
Not only is al-Qaeda not a threat to the United States in Afghanistan, but it’s not much of a threat to the United States period. Bin Laden’s desire to assassinate President Obama because “killing him automatically makes Biden take over the presidency. … Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will led the U.S. into a crisis” seems more like wishful thinking with a hint of desperation.
Moreover, bin Laden was concerned about all the various al-Qaeda offshoots (under the umbrella of the al-Qaeda name, but not under bin Laden’s direct control) because they were killing Muslims in Muslim countries and not focusing on America. He worried that “it would lead us to winning several battles while losing the war at the end.” In other words, to the extent that al-Qaeda was (or is) a threat, it’s more of a local threat to Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq than a global threat to America. More than 10 years after 9/11, how ironic is that?
<>
