An entry in a personal blog about the killing of the al-Qaeda leader, situating it within the locus of U.S. militarism.
The fact that Osama bin Laden, a man who fought his enemies with violence that frequently killed the innocent, is now dead is from many perspectives a positive development. That the world now has one less influential leader who is willing to kill and destroy as a means of engendering political change is hopefully a small step towards a more peaceful world…
But it's a pity that the U.S. chose to pursue a massive ‘war on terrorism' as a response to bin Laden's violent campaign, a war in which far more innocent people have been killed and injured than bin Laden's initial attacks. Their deaths are also part of this story and must be counted and acknowledged in our reflections on the real costs of this so-called act of ‘justice'…
No mention of Iraq
And it's a pity that the Bush administration and the coalition of the willing wrongly linked Iraq to al-Qaeda and bin Laden, and then invaded with the result of more than 600,000 dead and millions displaced. The immeasurable suffering of that nation is one of the most shameful episodes of the hunt for bin Laden, but I have seen no mention of Iraq in all the discussion. To the victims of the invasion, the rejoicing in the death of bin Laden will most likely leave a bitter taste…
And it's a pity that so many people, including many innocents, were kidnapped, rendered and tortured for information on bin Laden's whereabouts, and in the end, normal methods of intelligence-gathering found him anyway. Those innocent individuals who can no longer sleep properly because they endured sleep deprivation torture, who suffer nightmares and post-traumatic stress from being waterboarded, also have to be counted as part of the enduring costs of the hunt for bin Laden…
And it's a pity that the U.S. did not respond to the Taliban's offer to hand over bin Laden to trial in Pakistan in 2001, and that they did not take the opportunity to strengthen international law and the ICC, so that bin Laden (and any other wanted terrorist or war criminal) could be captured, tried and imprisoned at the Hague. A strong international legal system guaranteed by the U.S., rather than the rule of force, would have been far better outcome than the disastrous decade of war on terrorism that we have had instead…
And it's a pity that so many are celebrating using violent means to fight a violent group, and that it will most likely lead to a continuing, maybe even intensifying, cycle of violence. It's sad that so few today recognise or understand that the use of violence rarely leads to any long-term solutions, but instead, most often creates ever more violence and suffering in the long run. This event and the response to it are an opportune moment to reflect on our addiction to political violence and our belief that conflict can best be solved by killing…
And it's a pity that some think we should just celebrate his death without thinking about the context in which it occurred, the history of suffering he and his enemies engendered, the inherent moral and strategic problems with the way it was done, and the likely future consequences for so many. This small death should be a moment to reflect on how many lives were lost in the campaign to finally get bin Laden and whether killing terrorists without dealing with the reasons why they fight is a useful long-term strategy. These deeper questions have been lost in all the rejoicing…
And it's a pity that the U.S. and other Western states view ‘justice' as killing a man extra-judicially and then disappearing his body in the ocean. Apart from the denial of full justice to the victims of 9/11 who will never know now what really happened, this seems like a surrender of our own values, norms and beliefs in the rule of law. Making exceptions to human rights and legal standards of justice only succeeds in creating a world in which law and justice is ever weaker. By responding to bin Laden in a lawless manner, and treating him as he treated his victims, we simply go down and join him in the pit of immorality. We become the monster we hunt…
And it's a pity that targeted killing is now a core tactic of counter-terrorism, especially when the Israeli experience clearly demonstrates that it does not work to reduce terrorism, kills many innocent bystanders, and leads to more recruits for terrorist groups…
About ‘one evil guy'
And it's a pity that bin Laden came to be seen as the personalisation of evil, the mastermind who could be blamed for causing most of the world's terrorism, and who therefore needed to be eradicated at all costs. Solely focussing on one man meant that the history and context of real political grievances which lead to bin Laden's rise was silenced and erased; terrorism was about one evil guy, not decades of U.S. foreign policy, entrenched grievances, structures of oppression and daily physical, structural and cultural violence. Now he's gone, one wonders who will take his place as the next personification of evil…
And it's a pity that it happened so late that it will have no positive effect at all on terrorism or counter-terrorism, or on bin Laden's mythical status as the man who stood up to the Western world for more than a decade…
And it's a pity that they dumped his body in the sea, which will most likely add to his mythical status. It won't be surprising if many of his supporters refuse to believe he is really dead. They may also be further angered that his corpse was desecrated by not being given a proper burial on land. Killing him in this way now makes him even more of a martyr to his followers and a potent symbol of resistance. It probably would have been much better to de-mythologise him and exorcise his power by putting him on trial and showing him in prison — an ordinary man growing old, rather than some kind of super-terrorist who eluded the world's greatest superpower for years…
Law and conflict
And it's a pity that all the resources and efforts put into killing bin Laden over 10 years was not instead put into strengthening international law, dealing with political grievances, supporting peace constituencies, resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, genuinely promoting political participation and democracy, and reforming the oppressive and unjust foreign policies which provoke violent resistance…
And it's a pity that so many Americans are on the streets celebrating and so many political leaders are crowing about it as a major victory. It will be a further humiliation for some in the Middle East, and they may rightly feel that the celebrations contain no acknowledgement of the suffering they have experienced from U.S. invasion, counter-terrorism operations, drone attacks, rendition, etc. I wonder how we would react to celebrations in Iraq if George W. Bush was to die…
And it's a pity that no one is talking about the other three people killed in the operation, one of whom was bin Laden's son and another an unknown woman. They may turn out to be far less guilty than bin Laden, more ‘collateral damage' in our war on terror. It illustrates something about our real values that their lives, and the lives of all the others lost in the hunt for bin Laden, are so unimportant that they won't be discussed or mourned in all the euphoria over killing bin Laden, the evil mastermind. And it's a pity that Obama said ‘no Americans were harmed' in the operation, as if American lives are more valuable than others. This way of ordering the world into worthy and unworthy victims, people to be mourned and people to be erased, is what keeps the cycle of violence ever turning…
And it's a pity that it will not lead to the end of the war on terror, the culture of fear, and all the intrusions into daily life of militarised forms of counter-terrorism. It's a pity that in response to bin Laden's initial attacks, we irrevocably changed our way of life and undermined our own values, and that political leaders are still saying that his death changes none of these things but that we will have to (endlessly) continue the fight against terrorism…
It's a pity that this event will do nothing to end the sheer stupidity and shameful waste of ten years of war and violence.
(Professor Richard Jackson is Secretary, British International Studies Association and Editor, Critical Studies on Terrorism. He is in the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University, Wales. rsj@aber.ac.uk)
Keywords: Osama killing, US militarism, war on terror
Its insinuating to hear from self-righteous know-it-all wannabe 'intellectual' liberals that the prognosis for dealing terrorism is to tackle the 'reasons' that cause these poor innocent bottle feeding babies to blow up in a public square. Yes I agree, the US shouldnt have played with fire in the 80's using jihadis to fight soviets.May be it shouldnt have provided those stinger missiles. May be it shouldn't have meddled in the foreign affairs of other countries. May be it would have been better for the world, if the Soviets took over Afghanistan and done to Islam what they did to Orthodox church in Russia, what they did to Islam in Central Asia and what Mao did to Buddhism in China. As for the 'what if' and 'what but' questions, how about letting millions of poverty stricken Indians, marginalised sections, farmers be given a free ride at unleashing terror, huh? Sure these people have none less reason to take the 'path' to terrorism. How about millions of non-muslims who are relegated to 2nd class citizenship in Islamic states and Islamic democracies, which by the way, form the vast majority among all muslim majority countries. Sure, until this 'cause' is removed ,we can all have a go at discriminating against muslims ,cant we?
US did commit acts of terrorism, but that doesnt abdicate scores of Sunni and Shia militants who caused as much mayhem as US. And the law is equal for all citizens, rich or POOR
Terrorism is an international problem and every country adopts a modality to resolve this problem as per its convenience but if we shed all kind of individual and nationalist greed and if we start believing in the caste and creed of humanity and if we start believing in the religion of humanity and if politicians stop be fooling the innocents then there shall be no terrorism but would that ever happen?
Iraq: we would discuss the motivation and reasons behind the war later but its ridiculous to say that the liberation of Kurds stopping the destruction of marsh Arabs habitat and way of life is waste. It seems to be a self righteous liberal article saying all those people were killed by American actions. america didn't started the civil war, it might be accused of negligence and lack of planning but it didn't invite Al Qaeda it was already there dormant. I am aghast at the simplification and accusing America for the ills when in truth it remains the only good superpower and hope for the world.One can question the motives and then the handling of occupation and planning of Iraq war but no one can dispute the good it has done to so many people go and ask the Kurds, getting rid of a dictator and tyrant. Destructive Foreign policy: All bad things are not culmination of USA policy, how can you blame people bent on bombing and killing themselves in the name of religion on USA. The chaos and identity crisis within a particular religious denomination cannot be blamed on USA, its the shortcoming in the philosophy or one should say dogma of that particular religion. Yes there were rendition, yes there was water boarding but USA doesn't blow up schools, kill people because they are Sunni or Shi'ite, doesn't stop women going to school and having equal rights.Please get into the complexity of the matter rather than appealing to the liberal populism and do not insult the brave ones who have laid their life believing they were making world a better place.
Really a wonderful article with great length of analysis.
The US Administration should read many a times till it gets the true meaning of the article.
Hats off to the great Author!
The death of Osama has brought both cheer and tears to those who were his foe and friend alike.But Barack Hussein obama has gained political mileage by killing Osama in Abbottabad.It goes without saying that his popularity was on its wane.The issue of his caste or creed has more often than not been nagging him for which he had to make it clear that first he is American.As a muslim I can speak with conviction that scores muslims had been killed on the pretext of Osama.
I totally agree with your article, thank you for putting it so well.
As a Muslim, I'm totally against people like Osama and the many terrorist groups that are operating. According to me the people who can solve the problem of terrorism plaguaging the Muslim soceity are Muslims themselves through proper leadership and value based teachings. No doubt state should have zero tolerance for such people but at the same time to catch them they cannot adopt any means on earth which involves harming and killing innocent lives, who are trapped only because of their identity and not because of any substantial evidence that points to their connection with the terrorist groups. This article has brought out the feelings that Muslims in general have in a very apt manner. My heart felt thanks for publishing the wonderful article.
There is one truth that these liberals shall remember. If , in America the citizens enjoy freedom it is because they have a strong military and that the society is not controled by enslaving semitic religion, even though a lot of things are dictated by religious considerations, behind the scene; challenge me, i will give examples!) The security that the liberals enjoy is because of the strong state. No Islamic state can offer freedom to its citizens. Those who enjoy freedom because of the security provided by the 'powerful state' have no right to criticise the state in its attempts to retain and develope that power. That is one point. The second point: Those who surrender their freedom to the religious dogmas have no right to criticise the secular democracies in their attempt to provide security to its citizen. US, unlike India, has done the right thing, of taking the war out of their soil and into the enemies soil. India, due to the non-patriotic behaviour of the political leaders (of course, some of them) allowed enemy to remain in their soil, and will continue to pay the price.
As a matter of fact America has a habit of creating monsters and then itself cause a huge destruction in trying to kill it (even in their movies), the American government takes inspiration from Hollywood and vise versa. The question remains for the rest of the world that what lies in a greater scheme of things? What is their real objective and eventuality of it all, since right now more than half of the world is in a middle of some sort of transformation specially the Asian and African world and unfortunately this transformation is in the hands of Americans and other stake holders and is being done brutally through creating chaos, killings and massive unrest.
@Dr Kumarsan: I beg to differ from your view, you should understand that the author of the article is a Brit citizen, whose own country was part of the IRAQ war. Violence of any form on a country is nothing more than terrorism, be it Al-queda, be it the US, be it the Imperialist British an example of which you mentioned. As you pointed terrorism is not a threat to US alone, but wars on countries is nowhere near to the solution for the problem. You have a look at the number of deaths that have been caused by the US led forces in Iraq, Afghanistan. As you mentioned, "As a world citizen" try and understand the fate of children in these countries, who don't even know whether they will be alive the next day, because a US plane may just 'Miss' the target. Please read the UN reports where Psychologists have mentioned that the children have actually lost their 'Will to live' in these countries. It has been a systematic devastation of a country. I would not go into the details of War profiteering as you may read it yourself if interested. These mindless wars are a shame and perhaps as the author mentioned, International laws should be made stronger, and should intervene where countries like US decide to go on war seeking Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)(Which they never find anyway).
An excellent opinion by Professor Richard Jackson.
As to your wondering about how Americans would feel if Iraqis celebrate when Bush dies, I want to point out that Osama was not a savior of the Iraqis. He was not elected democratically by them. He cannot be compared to Bush. He was a terrorist and it does not matter what his nationality is. Terrorists do not belong to any country or religion. And nobody should feel afraid to rejoice the death of someone like him. If Americans want to show their happiness by celebrating, what is wrong with that? Of course, I agree that Osama's death is not the end of terror everywhere, for the seeds of terror still remain. And in many ways, it is foolish to celebrate his death.
A very thought provoking article with interesting perspectives. Part of the problem is propoganda and media brain-washing. We are not told the whole truth about any events that go down. Instead we get subtly coerced into forming uninformed opinions about people and events. It would have been far better for everyone if Bin Laden was captured and tried in an International Court. Now we have taken a step backward in international relationships, and fuelled the fire of hatred once more.
Congratulations for the most brilliant article on this ridiculous killing! America (and Israel to a large extent) seem to believe they are above international law, and that having the military might gives them the right to do whatever they are capable of. Suppose the Next Big Terrorist hides in Hawaii and a group of Indian/Asian forces snipe him out there, killing some innocent tourists in the process, and then proudly laud, "No Indians were killed, care was taken to avoid american casualties". ..I'd like to see how the world would react!
Mr Jackson - Thank you for writing this brilliant piece. Appreciate it.
The Obama Administration didn't really want the distraction of bringing bin Laden to the U.S. for trial. Shooting him in cold blood was their only option. When due process is deemed a distraction, democracy is doomed! Excellent analysis and one all Americans should read. Many thanks!
Even the military support that US gave blatantly to Libyan rebels killed many innocent people in the name of stopping Gaddafi from killing innocent people. Perhaps the US intends that the world should know that the US bombs can distinguish between innocent and not-innocent people. It is high time the world unites against the US high handedness.
Although I disagree with the fundamental thrust of this piece, I do agree that there was something disturbing in the celebration of this death. Death as a passing deserves celebration of the life that preceded. If such celebration cannot be warranted, then so be it. This man killed many. He killed on a false premise. He caused suffering to many. The US has committed several mistakes, and some deliberately couched as erroneous decisions, or couched in abstraction of national interest. OBL would have been best destroyed surreptiously, rather than pious statements about his body being washed and shrouded before being 'slipped' into the calm waters of the sea. If ever there was a hypocritical statement, that was it; spouted only to calm Islamic criticism while clothing themselves a righteous executioners. America, you could have done this in a much better way; more credibly and decisively.
Theoretical professor-like article written by someone with a comfortable life. Its very easy to lecture people when you have a nice job and your family is safe. Three of my friends were murdered during 9/11. More than 160 innocent Indians were killed during the Mumbai attack. How will we obtain justice? You are dealing with people who are open liars. EVeryday pakistan denies it has anything to do with these killers and everyday they are visible as heroes within their society. Osama lived in $1 milliod dollar compound with all life needs available. Dawood Ibrahim - killer of 100s of indians - lives a life of sluxury in Pakistan. Such behavior is beyond shameless and I applaud Obama for having acting carefully and strongly. How should we deal with this? Pray tell us? If your wife was murdered in 9/11 or killed in Oberoi hotel your advice would be quite different!
Unfortunately I see a lot of comments endorsing American policies and justifying the violence. Some cite the example of India being a 'peaceful state' and still being targeted and bled by its neighbours. Well, give me a break. These people are trying to mislead the public by forgetting burning issues like Kashmir, Ayodhya dispute and the violence that followed thereafter, Gujarat riots, violence against and oppression of tribals to name a few. Unless and until justice remains elusive, peace will also.
It's an excellent take on the situation. Though it's against the rule of Law to kill any person and the Law must come in to decide. But my apprehensions go further deeper as WHY AMERICA DID NOT ADOPT THE SIMILAR STYLE STRATEGY TO END OBL just after the 9/11 and why only after 10 years or so after killing hundreds of innocent and imposing huge suffering.
Wow!!! That is the best article on Terrorism by some distance. Good Work.
Brilliant piece providing insight into the matter. The reported death of Osama should not be the end of war on terror. Terrorism, whether it is by Al-Qaeda or United States, must be condemned. If thousands of people were killed in 9/11, lakhs of people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the war on terror led by America. who else should be blamed for the deaths lakhs of civilians beside U.S.?
All the damage done[and will be done] to many lives in the name of Collateral damage[or others] in the War on terrorism by USA and its allies could be used as a single word in the future similar to that of Holocaust. Be it the UN regulation or the constitution of the United states will only remain as bystanders of this great act.
"...whether killing terrorists without dealing with the reasons why they fight is a useful long-term strategy. These deeper questions have been lost in all the rejoicing….." This is the most important point I have found in this article. I have always thought that very few thinkers and writers have understood that the real soultion to terrorism to understand why terrorists fight. So I really appreciate Richard Jackson as he has rightly brought this point out to the reader's notice.
Thank you for instilling some sanity and thoughtfulness into the joy and confetti. In its pursuit of violent revenge America has become a pale shadow of all it once stood for. Like a rabid dog biting chunks out of itself and those around it in order to catch a few fleas. A rogue nation running amok.
"It's sad that so few today recognise or understand that the use of violence rarely leads to any long-term solutions, but instead, most often creates ever more violence and suffering in the long run."
Neville Chamberlain and Hitler would disagree.
What a cynical way to think. Americans value their country men' life just like their own life. I wish we value every Indian life as as our own and that makes us true patriots like Americans.
Professor Richard Jackson's Article is very Good and a very thought provoking one. I am always of the view that we cannot eliminate violence by violence, but only by Love.
Dear Richard, your article is totally absurd. Take India for instance, India has never volunteered to start a war, India does not torture anyone, India does not have enemies officially, India is a peaceful nation, and what has happened ? why was it attacked by religious extremists ? why does pakistan based terrorists target India ? India repeatedly has requested the handover of Dawood Ibrahim, why was it not complied ?. What America has done may be extra-judicial, but is the correct action to take. No one supports war, but this is necessary when people like Osama intend to get the whole world backward. And wars cost a lot, but those countries that are at war spend quite a lot of effort and money on all other causes. The EU funds hugely to palestine, but a major portion of that is diverted by the terrorists there to wage war against Israel. So what is the ultimate result.. No development.. they want to remain backward..
Terrorism is not a threat to U.S alone. The president of U.S actually helped to improve world peace by eliminating terrorism. As a world citizen, we must render our moral support to the U.S for their brave and intelligent effort in their fight against terrorism. The British writer must know what their country did to us during our struggle for independence. In Jallian Walabagh massacre, the British army shot down thousands of our innocent Indians in a matter of minutes. The British was selfish but the self-centered Americans are doing a great job for the world. It is a pity that being a university professor Richard Jackson, the writer must have some more in-depth understanding of the current situation.
This article has made a huge difference in how people look at terrorism. The point that US wanted to make is terrorists that attack their country will be killed regardless of any consequences. The same kind of theory is being followed by many countries. Only some countries like India are there trying to talk out for a solution. India is pleading Pakistan to hand out terrorists in Pakistan's territory which is indeed peaceful and has not produced any results. Does the Author approve this kind of approach which is criticized by huge population?.
What an article .Every word of it oozes with truth and exposes the American colors. It is a pity such a wonderful article will remain as an article. This article should appear in the first page of Newyork times and Washington post ! I just dream. President Obama would answer to each of the question raised by Richards and publish in the columns of The Hindu tomorrow ! As long as US thinks 'non American' lives are lesser lives there can be no peace in this world and there will be more human slaughter houses! Kudos again to 'The Hindu' and Richard Jackson for possibly a greatest article which throws light on the darker sides of counter terrorism !
I congratulate the prof for his bold and thought-provoking article; politicians always are ready to attack visible and convenient symptoms rather than trying to take steps to eliminate the underlying causes;unless the root causes are traced and decimated there may not be any proper solution
Sir Richard hopes your writing will tend other people to think more rationally and analytically on current scenario. This is simply great piece of pen. You showed me the thing in greater perspective. Thank you very much. Gratitude to 'The Hindu' also for this publishing.
I doubt very much that Americans would have killed Osama bin Laden. It is more like a public drama that was enacted for the world to believe that he is dead and he was buried in the sea.. He may be imprisoned, so that they do not have to answer to American people or the world or Human Rightist. They can torture Osama to find out more about his terror network and their hide outs. After 20 years, the world will come to know the strategy of Americans, or may be thru other Wiki leaks. Americans are very good at telling lies and they do not care a damn about the world's opinion.
This is the most balanced view and perspective, which takes in to account what had happened, and what is happening and perhaps what would in future.
The massive retaliation devastating civilian populations in Iraq and Afghanistan and destablisation of these and adjoining countries speak volumes for mindless policies of West towards rest of the world, and tend to sow hatred all around.
The author is trying to say that there are other better methods of handling a terrorist than the way it has been done, but conventional wisdom says its difficult to hold such violent terrorist in jails and prosecute him.Their followers will take hostage of innocent civillians sonner than later to get their leader released.Previous American president was right when he said America was at war and in war one neutralizes the threat of the enemy who's intent is to decimate other's existence.Unless until the enemy gives up his intent and surrenders he is a legitimate target.In case the threat never gave up the intent of violence so neutralizing the threat is justified which has been done.
The author of this article has covered all aspects of the topic in a succinct manner. It is both thought provoking and informing in it' s nature. I only wish that the article gets more prominence and airing than what is currently given to it.
I have only one question:
Should Obama get another Nobel Peace Prize now?
Good reading.
Americans ego led to such loss of mankind,material and resources which could have added to Americas economy.With the death of Osama many facts remains unfolded and it becomes even far more difficult to demystify the reasons and manpower aiding their cause which could be 'unjust'.So proper trial and verdict would have favored law and order and that also could have acted as a support statement to confirm his 'trial' or his 'death'.
Killing Osama may not be sufficient to make even Afghanistan a better place to live in, let alone the world.
Kudos! This article I will definitely ask my friends to read.
Who ever killed in the operation , A life is a life . We tend to ignore the people from middle east/Africa/ Burma like they are animals. We are not living in a civilised world . We are living in a westernised world which not necessarily be civilised and known for it law and order. Being a super power means nothing if they keep on evading from international laws and forums . I better want India to be a civilised nation rather than a superpower like USA
This article is very biased. I also disagree with you on the fact that we should reflect on his death and not celebrate. I am not saying it is good to celebrate any death. I even say that for Osama BinLaden. Although, he killed so many innocents. Those people the americans tortures, where not innocent. Each of them probably had killed many people. Hundreds. So, they may not have deserved what they got, but you should honestly research more.
There should be a good dose of carrot and stick in this world. I agree that there was too much collateral damage that needs be condemned. At the same time it is justified to kill Osama and celebrate it. Folks like Osama who take this up as a line of business should know there are consequences to it. Unlike the 26/11 mastermind who does not have to fear anything, at least Osama had to live in hiding and get killed at the end. I am proud to celebrate this.
Quite interesting. Both the opinion and comments. Looking in isolation of, Osama Vs Obama/bush was an expensive war and to a large extent gathered political storm against the US from a moral viewpoint. It can also be taken in the following manner: "But it's a pity that the U.S. chose to pursue a massive 'war on terrorism' as a response to bin Laden's violent campaign". By the time the twin towers came crashing down, it was no more Osama the terrorist that America was up against. It was an army with no geographical boundaries, and sewn together by an ideology twisted against a country. Just because half the world's countries cannot protect her own people, doesn't mean that a country who wants to protect itself from terrorist should stop from doing it. Being in India and in a country with such tolerance and such might, we know for sure how much our defense capabilities are. Israel as a country who tries to protect herself in a controlled US style suffers the same complicated security concerns as the US. The only countries who probable lives in peace as of now are the islamic countries whose only trouble in the recent past were the civil movement that has come up (probably attributed to the US). Where does this all stand. How can we look at terrorism and US/Obama/Bush in isolation and come up with an opinion against the bigger player. I personally feel that the governments of Pakistan and other countries from which terrorism originates hold complete responsibility towards the mess we are in now. Irresponsible silence towards terrorism and the insensitiveness towards 'the right to happy life' for every individual on this planet matters more than any ideology and any country. And we are in a journey where you can't see the end of the tunnel.
Thank you for the good article. Insightful ! When some one slaps you on one cheek, show him the other .. or else you end up slapping each other until both drop dead..
Osama single handledly caused the deaths of thousands, made the world spend trillions of dollars in miltary conflict for oil in Iraq and for national pride in Afghanistan. The amount of money that is being spent on secuity by the world after 9/11 could have wiped hunger and diesese from the face of the earth. Again the security industry has to thank one man - Osama. Americans and their coalition of willing are equally culpable for violation of human rights (Gauntanmo Bay), cruel interrogation methods and the worst of all 'rendition' - sendig the prisoners to Egypt and Jordan where inhuman things can be done to them and the Coalition of the willing looked the other way. The murder of Osama by the US is nothing short of Osama's attach on the twin towers.They derseve each other.
I don't know about the potential metamorphosis of civil society, yelling in victory out of blood lust, whatever the reason - I am glad that this myth that a band of mujahiddeen in some desert can defeat a super power. The sooner that myth is put to bed, the better for the world. This 'invincibility' is what gives these fanatics that misguided bravado to deny the system.
Thanks a lot, for providing such an excellent and insightful perspective. I would love to see more from your pen in future.
Excellent Article and congrats to Richard. You have rightly said the thoughts of a common unbiased man with ultimate courage. For a death toll of 3000 and a bullet on the pride of America, it has cost them a galloping $3 trillion for the world's biggest man hunt in the history. And there is no count to the number of innocent people died in Iraq and Afgan, no way to measure the endless sorrows and worries the civilians had and no thoughts on how this manhunt has affected the world economy. If we dig into real reasons for world recession, increasing oil prices, we could identify the impact of these two wars had on it. Achilochus once said: "The fox knows many little things. The hedgehog knows one big thing." Yes..They know many things. But we know one big thing... killing a man extra-judicially and then disappearing his body in the ocean was an act of mere stupidity!! Thanks once again for a thought provoking article.
its right what has been said but ,people like Osama, Dawood ..any people like them inspires more people to become like that.
Brilliant article!
An excellent and very personalised yet studied stance on the phenomenon of terror, terrorism and terrorists. Its truly a pity that the US had to declare that 'justice has been done'!Beautiful indeed is your highlight on the worth or lesser worth of non-American lives. Yes, truly the muted silence on Iraq is unacceptable where today we talk about human rights and a more civil world order. A public prosecution would have been the most acceptable in this case. Moreover, many facts of the actual face-off that happened being shrouded in silence, will definitely hurt specific sentiments and certainly will give rise to greater vengeance. By this, I do not mean to support terror in any form. But I certainly espouse a more civilised world where the factors that create terrorism are looked into and not simply the manifestations of the disease of terrorism.
Thank you, Professor, for this article. We should agree with every line of this argument. As long as there are right-thinking individuals like Professor Richard Jackson, maybe the world has some hope.
Thank you for writing this excellent article. Your words echo the feelings of millions or perhaps billions around the world. I hope the American administration (and some of their citizens) will come to their senses and address the root of the problem, i.e, their foreign policies. Again, thank you.
Truely an amazing article,read one like this one after a long time,considering the views of the author are personal but its so much generalised for all the things happening around us. Most of us hardly bother to use our own conviction for the things that we are made to be perceived and believe. Loved the way human values and the division in society is reflected by the author,very relevant for todays world....Cheers!!
Excellent article, well written.
Indians lamenting Bin Laden's death! That's irony! Yes, I understand it is not that straight-forward, but Indians want it in many ways: they want terrorists not to infiltrate from Pakistan, they rejoice in getting US customer service jobs, they want their garment export to US to grow even faster, they want to see their successful expatriates in America invest even more in India, but then....they don't like America! They have some fascination for dictators like Saddam Hussein on one side and Fidel Castro on the other side, even though these dictators have not done anything to promote Indian cause. Indians fail to see how intricately their democratic institutions are tied to US. With all the faults of the US (misguided mission to Iraq, misguided foreign policy towards India during the Cold War, etc.), it is the free exchange of people, trade and thoughts between these two countries (that already exist, contrary to what people think) that could provide long-term security in the region. India should have an independent foreign policy, but Indians should also look closely towards their homes, whether they had been successful in eradicating poverty or women discrimination; there is much to be done there before lamenting the death of Bin Laden!
America kills in the name of democracy and terrorist kills in the name of religion.both claim to protect the name in which they both kill democracy and religion respectively . Both have misinterpreted the democracy and the religion. May god enlighten their minds. Here America does not refer to common people in america, who like everyone understand democracy.
Brilliant article. Thought provoking. A piece of sanity in these turbulent times.
Thanks Mr. Jackson. I loved it.
What an aritcle..!!! and my gratitude to THE HINDU for publishing this..!!
Excellent article! Very nicely put the mistakes done by USA and world media justifying it also. It's really pity that the electronic and print media of world echo the USA. USA is a nation and not the elected world leader for establishing peace and harmony in the world (through its so called war against terrorism sort of policies). Thanks!
Dear Richard Jackson, This is one of the best article I have read in recent past.It takes a lot of guts to say some of the things like "and it is a pity that some think we should celebrate his death without thinking about the context in which it occured ....." and "I wonder how we would react to celebrations in Iraq if George W.Bush was to die..." and "It is a pity they dumped the body...". As an Indian who has heard the Great, voices of H.H.DAlai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and other thinkers, I am convinced a war will never end a problem but start another.Congrats. Let your tribe increase.
Excellent article. If Osama should be hunted and killed for attacking American Citizens then what about George W. Bush who caused more than 600000 deaths of innocent civilians by invading Iraq. He should go unpunished because he was the President of a wealthy nation. As Richard points out killing Osama is not going to change unless otherwise US changes its foreign policy. Thank you Richard for bringing out a excellent article.
A brilliant piece of writing depicting the bigger scenario which has taken place in the dark. A proper explanation in the regard of advantages and disadvantages through the seach operation that was carried out by Ameraicans for Osama bin laden. I feel this excerpt will help us to identify the root cause solution of the problem and asking us to stop beating the bushes and urging to do something substantial so as our prodigies will have proud on our deeds and way of approaching to the problems.
Agree with Akash, when will the there be justice and a human slain will be acknowledged as a human slain not as someone belonging to a certain nation. Since when human life has become a figure which needs to be high in order to be recognized ? If killing innocent is crime then how different it is from the killing of innocent bystanders, just naming it collateral damage doesn't mean its not a murder. What if radicals start using the same language saying 'Holy cow! we just wanted to demolish the building, the accupants were just a collateral damage'. Can we take this excuse ?if not then how can we take the other one?Death of an innocent human being caused by state or by radicals is murder nevertheless, and should be seen as such.
Dear Richard: I just wanted to take a moment and congratulate you on your fantastic article. As a human, as a doctor, as a freethinking citizen of New Zealand, in the free world - I commend your intellect, perception and courage. There must must be little doubt that the world is a better place without bin Laden. However, you are so correct - We become the monster we hunt. It is all too easy for members of the 'civilised' world to become caught up in this cycle of bloodshed and celebration.
and We become the monster we hunt! Your article is enlightened and brave and raises my hope for humanity. Your article decreases my own perception of intellectual, ethical and moral isolation. Evil, murder, chaos and flagrant disregard for human law is no justification for the same. When we allow that justification - we set our own moral compass in reverse. We lose our credibility. We lose our way. We become the monster we hunt!
Thank you Richard. You have touched my heart and my soul.
Excellent projection of the current situation and a forecast of situations ahead. The cycle of an eye for an eye is to be broken, in order to see the world in peace.
It is also a pity that even in this article some things daren't be said. One person heads an organization that believed in killing enemies anywhere in the world and is prepared to kill many others as implicitly linked to their enemies. The leader was claimed to be personally responsible and is killed. (Osama Bin Laden)Another person heads an organization that believes in killing enemies anywhere in the world and is quite prepared to accept the deaths of many others as implicitly linked to their enemies. Instead of being killed or even sent to trial they remain presidents and ex presidents and not subject to the same penalties. (Ex president Bush) In the absence of a uniform code of justice the motivation for terrorist attacks continues to increase.
Unless the control of terrorism can be made absolute then these actions are unlikely to have made any improvement in the situation. Other leaders will arise and some of them will be very clever adversaries.
Merely eliminating one is unlikely to change the situation any more than replacing president Bush with President Obama has changed the US view of the world around it.
And Obama is supposed to be a Nobel laureate for peace! What an irony! People even used to wear Obama T-shirts when he was elected, as if he's a hero to be worshipped."Justice has been delivered...no Americans were harmed"- Indeed! Brilliant and insightful article.
The war on Iraq by the USA is wrong. But was Saddam Hussein a good man? Why did Saddam attack Kuwait? Why did Saddam attack Iran? Blaming the US alone is not going to solve any problems. Saddam was evil and he had to be taken down. It is good that America did though America did not have the right. Please do not tell that Saddam was a peace loving person who has never started any wars and was never cruel to the minorities. Kurds and Shia muslims in Iraq have a very different opinion. I am not defending the USA. USA was after her interests(OIL). If Iraq or the middle east had democracy and secularism, then most of these wars would never have happened. Instead of blaming the US, and if middle east introspects and reforms, the world as well as the middle east will be a much better place.
The eternal repetition of the phrase - a circle- a call coming from a dying voice yet believing that the voice, although soon dead, may return to its first note, its first beat, like in the Indian Classical Music- the hope lies in the 'returning' and not in the 'proceeding'. at least) 600,000 dead in Iraq alone (The Hindu, 6th May '11)- appx. equal to the popular number of souls reduced to ashes in the Gas Chambers by the Nazis at the different death camps, for which Germans were demonized for at least 40 years since the end of the World War II through the popular western media mostly by the superficial and narcissistic American Hollywood and Entertainment Industry. Obama said, "Justice has been delivered...no Americans were harmed".Are the deaths of Americans so exclusively superior to the deaths elsewhere on the globe? Who will show a mirror to those who claim to be the mirror for the world? Who will tie a bell around the neck of the tom cat?
This is a brilliant article that should be framed and preserved for posterity so that neocons will one day read that by killing bin laden they achieved little more than a few hours of airtime in the media.Bin laden is an idea and you will never destroy it. How will Iraqis celebrate Dick Cheney's, Donald Rumsfeld's and Bush's death? Even the 600,000 dead will come out of their graves and rejoice.
There has not been a single terrorist attack in the US after 9/11 and it happens on daily basis in Pakistan and Iraq. The War on Terror has destabilized, criminalized certain countries beyond recognition and it will be more hard to see their images and easier to see Osama's photo instead. Now who is paying the price for protecting America?
I humbly request to my fellow Americans not to blindly trust their Govt and intelligence agencies.They are continuously being terrorized by their own country from long back and this is leading them nowhere.Its not time to rejoice rather its time to rethink. We all have gone through the trauma of terrorist attacks and with the end of Bin-Laden, its time to review the policy of counter-terrorism.
Kudos to Richard Jackson for calling spade a spade. The write-up provides an insight into the minds and feelings of Uncle Sam. That their clout and influence across the globe is difficult to put up with, as evident in the article, is an open secret.
Osama bin Laden - the evil incarnation - is eliminated. Good. But it will never be the end of terrorism he has been promoting for the last ten years. The ever growing intolerance against the views other than one's own, the alarming growth of attacks against women in the name of culture or faith, the killing of innocent people in the name of counter terrorism are more intensive in the post 9/11 world than in the pre 9/11world. As the editorial of 'The Hindu' (May 3, 2011) aptly observes, 'bin Laden changed the way we led our lives in more ways than has yet been fully understood.'
The secular democracy in the third world suffered greatly in the post 9/11 world scenario. In the killing of Osama bin Laden America has only fulfilled its revenge and to have the revenge, the US has shed in the wind all the cherished values of democracy. The killing of bin Laden doesn't make the world a safer place. If it is to be a safer place, America should cast off violence from its foreign policy and try to promote secular democracy in the world around, instead of promoting dictators and military junta against democratic nations to safeguard the American vested interests. In fact bin Laden was a Frankenstein created by the violent foreign policy of the US. If America learns from this experience that violence and the training of violence against other people and faiths would only breed more violence and intolerance, the world will certainly be a better place to live in. The violence of bin Laden was not his own creation, it was an adapted one from his mentors - the US. But the violent foreign policy of the US is its own and hence, the bane of the world.
Thanks for writing a sensible article. The mindless war on terror led by US and its allies has a parallel to India's approach to naxalism. Without understanding the root cause of naxalism, the Indian polity thinks it can eliminate naxalism by killing those people who follow it, and there is surely no mechansim to distinguish who is a naxal and who is not. A common man fighting for his right to keep his land using civilized or legal approach, is equated to a maoist because his plight may coincide with the naxal ideology.
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