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May. 11th, 2011
...and the reason why people debating it will never understand each other, is that there is a larger question about the current situation. Is it a war, yes or no? If it is a war, then a targeted assassination of an enemy leader such as this one is perfectly justified and correct; what is more, it is an excellent move, in the enemy's own code. Osama Bin Laden's most famous quotation - uttered within days of 9-11 - is " when people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse." The American blow shows everyone that the West's reach is as long as its memory, and that it can strike at will even against the protection afforded Osama by a treacherous would-be ally who is also the Muslim world's strongest military power. America and her allies have proved the strong horse.
On the other hand, if we are not at war, if this is a matter of law enforcement on the grand scale, then the death of OBL is simply murder, with no ifs or buts. Even worse, it was done in the face of a sovereign state with claims to be an ally.
Unfortunately there is no consensus on this. The worldwide spread of banditry identified with OBL is a genuinely new thing, and nobody has so far presented an argument that can convince most people with an opposing viewpoint.
Finally, one thing cannot be in doubt. Whether or not the Obama administration agrees, waterboarding, sleep deprivation and the rest are torture, and torture has been banned from Western law codes - including military ones - for centuries. The supposed success in "interrogating" certain figures by such means no more proves it valid than the fact that a given individual is rich proves that he was right to rob a bank.
On the other hand, if we are not at war, if this is a matter of law enforcement on the grand scale, then the death of OBL is simply murder, with no ifs or buts. Even worse, it was done in the face of a sovereign state with claims to be an ally.
Unfortunately there is no consensus on this. The worldwide spread of banditry identified with OBL is a genuinely new thing, and nobody has so far presented an argument that can convince most people with an opposing viewpoint.
Finally, one thing cannot be in doubt. Whether or not the Obama administration agrees, waterboarding, sleep deprivation and the rest are torture, and torture has been banned from Western law codes - including military ones - for centuries. The supposed success in "interrogating" certain figures by such means no more proves it valid than the fact that a given individual is rich proves that he was right to rob a bank.