SHAHEEN TO PANEL: WHAT EFFECT WILL BIN LADEN’S DEATH HAVE ON WAR IN AFGHANISTAN?

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs, asked witnesses at a full committee hearing today about what effect Osama Bin Laden’s death may have on the war in Afghanistan.

“I think it’s fitting … that we’re having this discussion two days after Osama Bin Laden has been killed … what impact will the death of Osama Bin Laden have on that endgame (in Afghanistan) ” Senator Shaheen asked. “Obviously it was a huge national security and military and intelligence triumph for the United States.  But what will the real impact be, if any, on the Taliban … and does it have any impact on our allies as we look at the fight ahead? “

Senator Shaheen has called the death a “monumental triumph” for U.S. national security interests but has also cautioned that the nation must stay vigilant against ongoing terrorist threats.

Today’s hearing, titled,  “Afghanistan: What is an Acceptable End-State, and How Do We Get There?” took testimony from a panel of experts: Ronald E. Neuman, President of the American Academy of Diplomacy; Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University; and Richard N. Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations.

For more on today’s hearing, see the Senate Foreign Relations Committee website here.