Death of Osama bin Laden and Changing World
Ram Puniyani
The declaration of death (2nd May, 2011) of Osama bin Laden is mired with many a mysteries, It is also full of blatant violations of International law. It does have a profound impact on the future of global politics. Osama and Al Qaeda had been dominating the global political scenario overtly since a last decade or so, and covertly through their activities from last 2-3 decades. The West Asia- Indian subcontinent had been the major victim of their dreaded acts; still the death of this Frankenstein’s Monster has been accompanied by infinite questions and implications.
To begin with, there had been various news items claiming that Osama is dead, times and over again. Pakistan’s ex Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who herself became a victim of the acts of terror, had said that Osama is already dead. Any way, what matters is the popular perceptions and the ‘understanding’. This understanding ‘manufactured or real’, is propagated by the global emperor and the dominating US media. This seems to be more important than the truth. Truth shall ultimately prevail, but in the short run, the propaganda and perceptions do dictate the global and local scenario. So in that sense now Osama is really dead for good.
The manner of his killing reminds us as to who is the biggest violator of International law. Here is a Super power, with its tentacles spread all over the World, itching to undertake actions in the name of Democracy and Peace, but in reality protecting its interests of controlling oil wealth and maintaining global supremacy, the United States. Its armed forces blatantly violate the Pakistan’s air space, ignore its sovereignty and kill an unarmed Osama. Noam Chomsky, the indefatigable Human Rights Conscience keeper poses an interesting question. What if Pakistani or some other army lands up in White House, kills someone there and dumps his body in the sea? Unthinkable, no!
Osama could have been captured and tried in the International Court of law and punished accordingly. Why an unarmed man; a criminal, had to be killed is beyond imagination in the civil world with so many laws and norms. It seems laws and conventions are for the ordinary mortals and states, for some states (US) the medieval ‘Might is Right’, ‘We are the law’, still prevail. This is a warning signal for the whole humanity, reminding us of the need for reviving International bodies like United Nations not just formally but de facto, with real flesh and blood. Organizations like United Nations not only need to be revived and democratized they also have to be endowed with legal and moral authority to mediate in the international affairs. The arbitrary ‘cow boy’ norms need to be condemned and done away with.
This ‘death of Osama’ should open a new chapter in global and local politics. The previous decade has been dictated by the US policy of Oil hunt by creating the slogan of ‘Clash of Civilizations’, a slogan which is an insult to the humane values of mankind, a concept which deliberately overlooks the deeper alliance of people and civilizations. This clash of civilization thesis practiced by US projected Islam as the threat to democracy and freedom, irrespective of the fact that it is the same global power which overthrew democracies and promoted dictatorships in the area for its economic political agenda. The overthrow of democratically elected Mossadeq regime Iran, (1953) had set the tone for imposition of authoritarian regimes in this area. Again the processes which have begun in Tunisia, Egypt etc. are reminders that Arab World-Muslims aspire for democracy as much as any other people in the World and are trying to overthrow the yoke of dictatorial regimes.
The US invasions on different countries in the region were justified by projecting Islam and Muslims as backwards by the ‘global super-cop’, which projected the myth that it is playing the role of the savior. With the death of Osama-bin-Laden this chapter of dark global politics should be over, and the region should be left to its own moral and political resources to develop the political systems, away from the interference by outsiders. Democracy is basically a grass root process. It cannot be ‘exported’ or ‘imposed’ on others. The efforts should be to let the local alliances emerge, to let global democracy amongst nations emerge and let the local population decide their path for achieving the democratic system. It is on these issues that all the concerned peace movements assert the values of Peace and democracy through mass demonstrations. These voices and peace campaigns should act as a brake to hegemonic policies of the superpower.
In India the terrorism begun by local groups, Aseemanand, Pragya Singh Thakur and others derived its pretext from the terror acts of Osama and company. Since Hemant Karkare’s landmark investigation in Malegaon blast case, series of operatives wearing saffron clothes have been caught and hopefully this dreaded process will also come to an end, it will not derive provocation form other terror groups.
As far as India and Pakistan are concerned the whole talk of repeating Abottabad by a section in India, needs to be thrown in the dustbin. The Indian political leadership has shown political maturity and offered the dialogue table for achieving friendship with the neighbor. The same should be enhanced. On one hand we firmly deal with the criminal elements, by promoting trust and amity between nations and on the other the co-operation in the area of culture, trade, commerce and education needs to be boosted. Not only restricted to Pakistan, we need to revive the spirit of SAARC at deeper and broader level.
This May 2011, death of Osama, some claim its 9th time he is being declared dead, is a boon to the process of peace anyway. The demonization of Islam and Muslims will hopefully come to an end. Morality of all religions has been a great contribution to development of human values of the mankind. All religious communities have contributed to the progress of Human race, and this needs to be the major slogan of coming decades.
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