Many have rushed to the conclusion that the death of Osama bin Laden and the uprisings of the Arab Spring spell the end of Islamism and the dawn of a new era of democratic politics in the Arab world.

The Arab revolutions have certainly proved bin Laden wrong on a number of fronts: Regimes can be changed without resort to violence and terrorism; Arab citizens care more about individual freedom and rights than about the establishment of the Muslim Caliphate; and the demand for change does not necessarily involve hatred for the U.S. and Israel because of their alleged domination and humiliation of Muslims. Personal dignity and freedom from authoritarian brutality, like better governance and greater economic opportunity, are the demands of the people, not Al-Qaeda’s agenda. So bin Laden’s demise may spell the death of his ideology and perhaps, in time, that of his movement and its affiliates.

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