The Demise of bin Laden

The following comments are based on the assumption that Osama bin Laden was actually killed by US forces last weekend.

First of all the fact that this man is dead is probably welcomed by the great majority of the world's population who view with horror the crimes he apparently engineered, and although someone's death is always sad and always mourned by someone, I must say I feel the world is a better place without him.

However, the circumstances of his death are most disturbing and cause me great concern. The US "invaded" another sovereign state without so much as telling that state that it intended to carry out this operation. They've made a lot of excuses about not being able to trust the Pakistani government, but imagine if the boot were on the other foot and a covert mission was instigated by, say, Canada, into the USA in order to kill or capture one of their public enemies. The US would not be happy ! Supposing the Pakistani air force had intercepted the helicopters and shot them down. What then ? No matter how much of a threat there is perceived to be - and in this case there was no threat - one country cannot just send its troops into another, particularly when that country is supposed to be a friend !

It has also become fairly obvious that the US wanted bin Laden dead. They've made a lot of show about him "resisting", but they are fooling no-one, they wanted revenge and they wanted him dead, thus avoiding a trial and the adverse publicity this would bring. But this then raises the point that no government has the right - legal or moral - to act as judge, jury and executioner. Everyone believes that bin Laden organised the attack on New York in 2001, but where is the evidence ? Has anyone seen any ? Has the US Government made any of it public ? No matter how evil the perpetrator, under civilized law he or she is entitled to a fair trial, and this should have been the case here, as it was with S Hussain, no matter what you may think of that trial.

There is no doubt that the US forces carried out a very clever mission. I'm a great admirer of Obama which makes it very difficult to understand why he allowed it to be carried out in the way that it was. If, as has been reported, bin Laden had been living in this compound for six years, then surely it would have been possible to do things differently without arousing his suspicion, and capture him alive. He could then have been passed over to the International Criminal Court for trial. This would have relieved the US of the problem of trying him in a US Court and would also have shown the world that, no matter how heinous the crime, they wanted to see this man have a fair trial. America is a democracy and as such MUST live by - and be seen to live by - fair, democratic law. This is where the previous administration made such a big mistake, a mistake which cost the US many friends all around the world whilst achieving nothing.

I hope we will soon be able to draw a line under this unfortunate affair.