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The article chronicles the rebuilding of the Al Qaeda terrorist network following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The author discusses the disorganization and demoralization of Al Qaeda leadership after September 11 and their restructuring efforts. The author also discusses Al Qaeda reorganization in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Offers praise to United States President George W. Bush for his role in the changes in the political culture of the Middle East. Discussion of the achievements of Bush's foreign policy; Criticism of U.S.-Arab relations in 2001; Failure of former President Bill Clinton to respond to the threat of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden; Impact of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on Bush's foreign policy; Increase of democratic movements in the Middle East following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq; Discussion of the political changes in Lebanon; Pressure placed by Bush on the political culture on Saudi Arabia; Report that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will permit opponents to run in the presidential elections against him; Bush's obsession with the democratization of Arab countries; Discussion of the peace process between Palestine and Israel; Praise for Bush for not making concessions to Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat.

Presents information on the impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the oil trade in Iraq. Preparation by the U.S. to launch a global military campaign against terrorism, Iraqis and those interested in doing business with them; Identification of Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq, as the sponsor of Islamic terrorist cells; Anxiety of business community who are doing business with Iraq; View of the regime of Iraq that the U.S. foreign policy is responsible for the recent terrorist attacks; Steps taken by Saddam Hussein to fend off any U.S. sponsored assassination attempt.

Discusses an ABC News/Washington Post poll showing that the public's approval rating regarding President George W. Bush's handling of the war on terrorism has dropped to 50%, down fourteen points in the last five months. The poll's indication that the public feels that America is losing both the war on terrorism and the conflict in Iraq; Effects of public perception on reelection strategy; Need to remind the public of his unifying role after September 11, the successful war in Afghanistan, and homeland security measures; How reinforcing the U.S.A. Patriot Act and capturing terrorists can help Bush get reelected.

Presents reflections on the meaning of anniversaries for international policymakers. Discussion of the testimony of Bush administration officials before the commission investigating the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; Discussion of the Iraqi uprisings that accompanied the first anniversary of the fall of Baghdad; Report of Kofi Annan's remarks on the tenth anniversary of the Hutu extermination of the Tutsi in Rwanda; Speculation about what Annan and the United Nations could have done to stop genocide in Rwanda, Serbia, Sudan and other trouble spots; Discussion of U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry's suggestion that the UN--and possibly Arab allies of the U.S.--should take charge of Iraq's return to sovereignty;.