Barack Obama has announced the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. So many questions, so few answers. Will his death really make a difference to the “war on terror”? Arguably not. Bin Laden has become a symbol, little more. Occupation of Muslim lands has only worsened since 9/11, so hatred of the West won’t suddenly disappear after today.
It’s a US victory, no doubt about it. Celebrations outside the White House – people shouting “USA! USA! USA!” – are reflective of this but revenge isn’t a foreign policy worth admiring.
Bin Laden had become an idea, a symbol of resistance to Western hypocrisy and occupation. His brutality and crimes justifiably turned off many Muslims but the face of the Muslim world is now even more infected with Western agents in the last decade.