Why is al-Qaeda stronger now than it was in 2001?

The most recent National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), parts of which were recently released, makes it clear that al-Qaeda is stronger and more organized now than it was in September of 2001.

Today the Washington Post reported Intelligence Report Warns of al-Qaeda's Capabilities, and The New York Times headlined its article, Bush Aides See Failure in Fight with Al Qaeda in Pakistan.

Alarming news. But WHY is al-Qaeda stronger and a greater threat to the US after almost six years of Bush’s “global war on terrorism”?

This morning, I listened to Michael Krasny’s (photo) hour-long Forum program on public radio, Intelligence Update, and now I know why al-Qaeda is still a threat. I highly recommend that you either listen to (RealMedia Stream) or download (MP3) the program to listen to later.

The guests were:

Bruce Riedel, former CIA agent and senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East studies at the Brookings Institution.

Fawaz Gerges, Christian A. Johnson chair-holder in International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies at Sarah Lawrence College and visiting professor at the American University in Cairo.

Melvin Goodman, former CIA agent and senior fellow at the Center for International Policy

Peter Bergen, Schwartz senior fellow at the New America Foundation, CNN's terrorism analyst and author of "Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Bin Laden."

(photo of Michael Krasny - from the KQED website)