Zawahiri does not have the same capacity as bin Laden says former CIA counterterrorism officer on ‘In the Arena’

CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank and former senior-level CIA officer and senior research fellow of the New America Foundation Phil Mudd speak with In the Arena’s Eliot Spitzer about the succession planning likely going on within al Qaeda in the wake of bin Laden’s death.

Cruickshank and Mudd describe presumed bin Laden successor Ayman al-Zawahiri as a far less charismatic and inspiring leader than bin Laden and assess that al Qaeda is greatly weakened.

“Bin Laden was a messenger who had prestige around the world – Zawahiri is not…When you lose your messenger for the revolution, kids and financiers across the world start to say: who do we support, who do we join, who do we pay, who do we give our money to – and increasingly, that’s not al Qaeda,” says Mudd.  But Mudd warns the U.S. is celebrating the defeat of terrorism too soon.