The failed Christmas Day bomb plot has added to the pressure on the Obama administration. It not only disturbed Obama's plans for 2010 but also complicated the fight against terrorism in the US and around the world.

Obama's second year was supposed to be about completing health care reform, cutting unemployment, and tackling climate change. But the attempted bombing has moved homeland security up the agenda.

Obama admitted the failed bombing showed up flaws in America's intelligence and security systems. The administration's response will be to try to close the loopholes in the system, take steps to ensure crucial intelligence is not missed in future, and step up engagement with new frontline countries, especially Yemen.

A well-thought-out plan [By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn]

 

America's neglect of the Yemen problem has put the spotlight on the Obama administration's anti-terrorist strategy. Yemen shows the US took its eye off the ball when it comes to the expansion of Al-Qaeda, and failed to provide adequate finance and support to governments in the front line. The media and even some overseas governments are worrying out loud that Yemen may turn into another Afghanistan.

It is a major challenge for the Obama administration. Iraq and Afghanistan are already "failed states." If Yemen also "fails", a new front in the war on terror will be opened, and terrorist organizations will have another haven to exploit.

The broader challenge is to step up international cooperation on anti-terrorism. The bombing attempt exposed the fact that America's own security and intelligence systems are not properly integrated. But the administration not only needs to integrate the domestic intelligence system, but also step up the international exchange of intelligence.