Anwar al-Awlaki faut-il le tuer aussi? (NY Times)

Les forces américaines ont également tenté de le tuer... À quel point est-il une menace? Il se trouverait actuellement au Yemen.

"Anwar al-Awlaki has few followers in Yemen and the wider Arab world. He is not even the leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (known as AQAP). The Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda is led by Nasser al-Wahishi, a former private secretary to Bin Laden and a disciplined and experienced operative, and Qassim al-Raymi, a military commander of Al Qaeda.

Killing him, in addition to the moral and legal questions involved, would not substantially disrupt Al Qaeda. In fact, it would transform the fugitive preacher into a martyr and would likely further poison Yemeni public opinion against the U.S.

A more effective measure would be to shut down Awlaki's propaganda shop by convincing the tribe that gives him shelter, the Awalik in southern Yemen, to turn him over to the Yemeni authorities. Although the current turmoil in Yemen works in favor of Awlaki and Al Qaeda, there is no ideological affinity between them and the tribes. The anti-Saleh opposition -- a broad spectrum of nationalist voices -- must be empowered to negotiate directly with the tribes and reach an understanding against providing shelter to Awlaki and Al Qaeda. Although complicated and messy, long-term measures that can turn Yemenis against Awlaki and his associates -- as opposed to counterterrorism measures such as armed attacks -- are the most promising strategies.

However, waiting on President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen to wage an all-out war against Al Qaeda and bring Awlaki to justice is naïve. Saleh is fighting for his political survival and has become the major obstacle to stabilizing the failing country. For Saleh, Awlaki's presence is a good bargaining card with the West.

The tribes hold the key to deactivating the Qaeda minefield in Yemen. Any strategy or post-Saleh government that does not fully involve them will most likely fail in reining in Awlaki. In the meantime, unless Saleh steps down as the public demands, Yemen will explode -- a godsend for Awlaki and Al Qaeda that will allow them to entrench themselves deeper in the country's fault lines."

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/05/31/how-dangerous-is-anwar-al-awlaki/the-key-to-reining-in-awlaki