It's an interesting post mate. Apart from being relatively sanguine about the fact of the death of Bin Laden, I find myself in nuanced disagreement with most of it.
Firstly I don't feel particularly angry with terrorists for supposedly spurring on the formation of the modern surveillance state or the fruitless measures of security theatre with which we now deal more often. I feel much more anger towards opportunist, populist governments for this.
Secondly I don't think the "dynamic" of terrorism demands extraordinary measures of precise violent action without regard for foreign sovereignty.
Realistically our fears of terrorist attack would be best allayed by an end to economic and resource imperialism, an end to Western geopolitical interference in the Middle East, a reduction in global inequality and a genuine willingness on the part of ostensibly liberal nations to engage with foreign cultures on a variety of grounds.
From our governments, an end to hostile regulatory behaviour against Muslims (hijab bans, controls and bans on mosque placement, etc.) and other ethnic and religious minorities in the West would be useful, as would an end to the props to reprehensible dictatorships: although our governments have now lost the option to cease tacit support for the likes of Hosni Mubarak, as his own people have taken power from him. Bring on a similar end to the twisted, popularly loathed regime of the Wahhabists in Riyadh, responsible for funding Bin Laden as was the US at one stage!
Thirdly, I don't agree that the ends justify the means in this case. We don't know what ongoing threat Bin Laden posed, and there seems to be little definable value in killing him if there were no such threat.
The expert response I've processed (Fisk, Ali et al.) seems to agree that killing him does nothing to neutralise Al-Qaeda, that he could not have been directing a terrorist organisation, and that the consequences of his murder could be both good and bad, but will be largely insignificant. Blood retribution for his victims is a poor justification when you consider the deaths caused by the US military in the name of 9/11.
no subject
Firstly I don't feel particularly angry with terrorists for supposedly spurring on the formation of the modern surveillance state or the fruitless measures of security theatre with which we now deal more often. I feel much more anger towards opportunist, populist governments for this.
Secondly I don't think the "dynamic" of terrorism demands extraordinary measures of precise violent action without regard for foreign sovereignty.
Realistically our fears of terrorist attack would be best allayed by an end to economic and resource imperialism, an end to Western geopolitical interference in the Middle East, a reduction in global inequality and a genuine willingness on the part of ostensibly liberal nations to engage with foreign cultures on a variety of grounds.
From our governments, an end to hostile regulatory behaviour against Muslims (hijab bans, controls and bans on mosque placement, etc.) and other ethnic and religious minorities in the West would be useful, as would an end to the props to reprehensible dictatorships: although our governments have now lost the option to cease tacit support for the likes of Hosni Mubarak, as his own people have taken power from him. Bring on a similar end to the twisted, popularly loathed regime of the Wahhabists in Riyadh, responsible for funding Bin Laden as was the US at one stage!
Thirdly, I don't agree that the ends justify the means in this case. We don't know what ongoing threat Bin Laden posed, and there seems to be little definable value in killing him if there were no such threat.
The expert response I've processed (Fisk, Ali et al.) seems to agree that killing him does nothing to neutralise Al-Qaeda, that he could not have been directing a terrorist organisation, and that the consequences of his murder could be both good and bad, but will be largely insignificant. Blood retribution for his victims is a poor justification when you consider the deaths caused by the US military in the name of 9/11.