NationStates Jolt Archive

Osama Bin Laden

The big bad boy who planned so many bombings through the years, hunted in Afghanistan almost immediatly after 9/11, he escaped, and is currently at large. More importantly than just being at large, he is a symbol and an inspiration for lots of freaky zealots out there.

However, it is just a matter of time until the US gets him. Word has it that Bin laden is also dying.

So my question is, should the Americans lock Bin laden, and get a chance to kill him, should the pull the trigger, having their revenge, but also creating a martyr, and more importantly, giving room for some other freak jihadi, perhaps smarter than bin laden, to arise

OR

Should the US wait for bin laden to die, and fade away, though their public opinion would always think that they "failed to get him" (Though that would be merely a strategic consideration)

OR

Capture the guy alive, if possible, and.. well, you can judge him, but then you go back to the first two, either you kill him and get a martyr, or don't kill him and don't get your vengeance.


PS: At the end of the second world war, the British were considering the possibility of assassinating hitler, but choose not to do so out of fear that a competent german leader would arise, we can have a bit of similarities here.

You put him on trial, list all his crimes, find him guilty, and force him to wear sexy women's clothing in his solitary confinement cell and pipe the feed from the hidden cameras to jihadi websites all over the internet.

any other option than killing him quitely lets him become a martyr. I believe that this option has already been exercised, but have no proof.

You put him on trial, list all his crimes, find him guilty, and force him to wear sexy women's clothing in his solitary confinement cell and pipe the feed from the hidden cameras to jihadi websites all over the internet.

I have recurring dreams on framing a shit load of jihad intelectual supporters like that..

PS: At the end of the second world war, the British were considering the possibility of assassinating hitler, but choose not to do so out of fear that a competent german leader would arise, we can have a bit of similarities here.

I'm not sure that's really a valid point. The command styles seem fairly different, and Bin Laden doesn't seem to be incompetent anyway, really. Not to the same degree, certainly.

Or you could try him under some common accusation and... clear him! What better way to ridicule the name of OBL than to refuse to acknowledge any part he may have had in bringing instability to the world?

We cannot allow vengance to cloud our judgement. I've heard people say that he should be locked away in a pitch black cell with water constantly dripping on his forehead.

I have two problems with this. To exert the same amount of cruelty would lower us to his level. The other is more practical.

We keep him locked up, there will only be more violence as insurgents and remnants of his organization attempt to free him.

No. We need to simply eliminate him. Then he'll be nothing more than another martyr.

All that he wants is a little bit of attention - why grant him his last wish? With such a decentralized terror organization, his death will likely have only a small impact, and martyring the guy will only make it worse. If he wants to say that Americans are evil and want to invade the Middle East, we shouldn't go in and kill him for it, we should prove him wrong. In an area of the world where violent mass-funeral demonstrations are the standard, Osama's death would only make things worse. Best to let the guy die, or even better get shot by one of his own cronies.

What court has the authority to give an impartial trial?

Surely not any US court.