Desert Storm

The hostage standoff at an Algerian natural gas complex that ended with 23 hostages dead and all 32 militants killed was a heavy-handed siege that couldn't be avoided.  The elements of al-Qaeda in the Sahara Desert are stepping up their attacks, and countries other than the United States recognized the threat from al-Qaeda in the Sahara as something that can't be dealt with lightly.

Witness the actions of the French army in Mali against al-Qaeda elements there, as well as the backup France has been getting from neighboring African countries.  The French haven't been this important in geopolitical affairs outside Europe since the days of de Gaulle.  I think this is a good thing; it means that other countries are stepping up to respond to a threat that was once largely seen as an American problem.  Sadly, the many nationalities of the natural gas workers involved in the Algerian crisis reminds us that Islamic extremism is everyone's problem.