America has saved the world again. After thousands of civilians served as collateral fodder in the “smoke em out” Bushfire in Iraq and Afghanistan post 9/11, the poster boy of global terrorism is gone. He did not go quietly into the night though and “personally” confronted the US forces after having dodged them for over a decade through cave bunkers and assorted hide-outs and releasing fresh warnings via Al Jazeera. It finally took just over 40 minutes for American security forces to partially end a story that began when (as President Obama put it) two hijacked jets streaked across a “cloudless September sky” and rammed into the twin WTC towers, searing images of improbable horror into the American psyche.
A psyche that has occasionally found itself grappling uneasily with images of a Napalmed Vietnam and nuked cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Wikileaked footage of American pilots randomly killing civilians in Baghdad.
But the tragic and completely unexpected terrorist attack orchestrated by Osama on 9/11 was a huge psychological blow and resulted in a prolonged war against terror which may or may not abate even after Osama’s death considering he was simply a figure-head of an ideology that may not die with him.
What will happen for sure is that despite criticism of underperformance at many other fronts, Barack Obama will be back at the White House for a second tenure. Like vetaran journalist Robert Fisk said, from being asked to show his birth certificate, Obama has now gone on to show (metaphorically) the death certificate of Osama and this is his moment to show to the American people that he is a President who ends wars satisfactorily.
This moment in history will also vindicate the US government’s routine excursions into weaker countries with drones and helicopters and missile launchers in the name of freedom and the greater common good. Sure, justice and closure have been achieved to some extent for those who died on 9/11 but what about the same for those who died in Iraq in a knee jerk war that began ostensibly to hunt weapons of mass destruction? Or in Afghanistan and in Pakistan? (Please read Poonam Goel’s poignant story on war photography on Unboxed Writers)
In the wake of Osama’s death, US war propagandists may once again project the country as the custodian of global security and the anti-war lobbyists may just find themselves at even a bigger disadvantage than before. Post Osama’s death (incongruously in a big mansion near the Pakistani Military Academy in Abbottabad), the self-congratulatory rhetoric has begun. A certain Mr Bush called it a momentous achievement and said that the event sends an unmistakable message to terrorists that justice will be done. Spontaneous street celebrations have broken out around US. So what has been achieved, really?
Like Fisk astutely pointed out, more significant than Osama’s death is the fact that millions have surged in an uprising against oppressive regimes in the Arab world in the past three months and rendered extreme outfits like the Al Qaeda obsolete. Osama was no longer a viable hero in islamic nations craving for progressive governance. Osama’s death brings relief to all those who lost someone they loved along with their innocence in the inhuman terrorist attacks ideated by him in America and other countries, but we also need to acknowledge that terrorism has many faces. It sometimes comes clad in robes of religious fundamentalism. And sometimes, it lights up civilian skies with missiles, nukes or napalms.
On a lighter note, An Indian American wrote on his Facebook status bar, “Can I fly with my shampoo now?” A question that will be answered by Mr Obama’s triumphant government, hopefully in the near future.
I agree about the goosd news from the Arab world being pushed out of the limelight here. Remember the American special services guy (=assassin) who was arrested after shooting some guys in the back of the head in a bazzar in Pakistan some months back – same deal. Pakistan must be full of them, working hand in hand with the ISI. I wonder how ling they hve known Bin Laden was there, or even if hes been dead for years and this is stage managed by the US. we will probably never know, but the application of media circus to up justification of Iraq and Afghanistan in the light of genuine change in the middle east does not surprise me. Maybe they will execute Bush and Blair now to balance the books…
nice thought Ian … if only!! But this article is dynamite … not too many people would voice all this, that almost everyone is thinking, quite so bravely …
Its certainly hard to have an emotion about this when its becoming patently obvious that half the world (ie those of use outside the most propagandised nation in the world) have serious doubts over the authenticity of any US claims. There are still more questions than answers, the biggest one being will the US now pull out of Afghanistan? And who will they blame now thaat they have killed their alibi?
America’s role in this world reminds me of a shalok from “Bhagwad Geeta” in which Krisna says “yda yda hi dharmasya…….” ie whenever there is decline in righteousness n rise in unrighteousness in this world, I will come for the destruction of the wicked.
When iraq could capture saudi arabia without any provocation n just to get hold of its oil fields, just imagine what saddam or taliban in afganistan could have done, had they got nuclear missiles in their hands. This power also helps america to boost its economy and that is how america can sell its “paper notes” to this world in exchange of commodities like gold and we poor people keep increasing our forex reserves