So if the next Dalai llama was hiding in the US, would it be ok for the Chinese government to fly in special forces to assasinate him?
I imagine bin laden was still protected by Pakistani laws, same as people inside the US are protected by US laws, even if they've pissed off some other country
The Dalai Lama initiated terrorist attacks against China? If not, then it's not even remotely the same thing and you know it.
I imagine bin laden was still protected by Pakistani laws, same as people inside the US are protected by US laws, even if they've pissed off some other country
You imagine incorrectly. As a non-state actor, bin Laden was not subject to the protection of any nation's laws. This has been international law for over a century, and this view was upheld by the U.N. Moreover, Pakistan's government itself said it had no issues with the legality of the operation, and indeed elements of Pakistan's government and military participated in aspects of the operation.
Bin Laden is one thing. But what’s the use of taking out the de facto leader of an org that will have no problem having a replacement immediately like Al-queda? It makes more sense when you’re doing a full on or strong attack like right after 9/11 or for When ISIS was brought down a ton.
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For the Silk Road. That’s true. However the next two silk roads had the people arrested fairly quickly.
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Note: I don’t know much or anything about hiding out or disappearing.
Actually in most official Documents he's known as Usama Bin Laden thus UBL (Also he's referred to that way throughout ZDT, if you want a cultural reference)
He's not just an accused terrorist, he's a enemy combatant and a POW, totally different ball game. And while the US might be "appalled if Russia or China did it," it would be for political reasons (the enemy of my enemy is my friend) and not ethical (reasons).
Finally, this thread has gone on far enough, I'm stepping out. I will not be replying to anymore posts.
If this is true doesn't it mean that Bin Laden won the war on terror?
Every time I go to the airport I think this. Those full body scanners? Thanks to Bin Laden, now you practically get strip searched for every flight. You have to take off your shoes. You cannot take drinks on a plane.
You then have everyone on edge no matter where you go. You and a friend play CounterStrike. You get on the bus and start talking about good locations to plant the bomb. You will probably be wrestled to the floor by some over-zealous commuter.
It doesn't surprise me if this is true. The US attitude to privacy and civil rights have been becoming more like China's every year since 2001.
No. They would pay to fly him back to Syria, then send in Navy SEALs to assassinate him 10 years later.
The U.S. does not recognize international law. The country would look a lot different if it did. Shortly after 9/11 the Taliban had captured Osama Bin Laden, however Bush let Bin Laden slip through because the Taliban wanted to try him at the Hague.
In an ideal world Osama bin Laden would have been captured with the help of the Pakistani military and handed over to the International Court of Justice to be tried and executed. There is a fine line between justice and revenge. Extremists can use this to incite more violence.
It will be very interesting to know if Pakistani military was completely unaware of his location until the US got this intel, or if this intel was obtained through a section of the military/govt who was somehow pressurized to give it up. There has always been some suspicion that there were elements in Pakistan sympathetic to Al Qaeda who were harboring bin Laden.
But that's not what's happening. Pakistani militants have planned and executed attacks on US citizens in the US and Afghanistan. Bin Laden lived there and coordinated from northern Pakistan for a decade after 9/11. The operations are targeting criminals who have committed and conspired to commit murder, not an indiscriminate campaign of murder against random citizens of Pakistan. Many innocent Pakistani people (and a Pakistani PM) have been killed by these groups. It's not morally cut and dry.
I don’t believe that is an entirely fair characterization of that action. Was the United States not supposed to go after Osama Bin Laden? Hiding in an allied country whose intelligence services derailed previous missions? [1]
I’m impressed by the diligence in trying to make sure your most wanted target is there before taking lethal military action. I’m disappointed by the immediate release of operational details for political expediency.
It is a tragedy that people are refusing vaccinations in Pakistan, but it’s not fair to entirely blame the CIA. At least pass some of the responsibility to the Obama Administration and Pakistan itself. [2]
This current event is different and shouldn't be confused with an actual success. When the intelligence services operate against the people of the United States and its elected representatives, individuals from the Agency should be going to jail. We've allowed far too much intelligence overreach and people need to start being held accountable.
Sounds more likely to me that some people within the Pakistani intelligence knew Bin Laden was in the country, similarly individuals within the US intelligence community knew and had known for a while that he was in Pakistan if not specifically where/how to get him out. The idea that someone sold him out is certainly plausible.
The idea that there has to be some black and white distinction between the US cooperating with Pakistani authorities to enter the country and kill him vs the idea that they had no knowledge at all I think is probably not accurate. It sounds possible that US authorities alerted Pakistani authorities that they were going to be conducting a raid and Pakistan could comply or face much bigger problems. Since they didn't want to be portrayed internationally as being complicit in housing a well known terrorist, they ignored the radar signatures of the helicopters just long enough for the raid to happen.
It's too bad they didn't bring the body back to the US. I wouldn't consider Bin Laden to be a Muslim and therefore not deserving of a proper Muslim burial. I see no reason they should have disposed of him and prevented some sort of public verification.
swombat, just to add a little humor to that. "hunted down like Osama bin Laden"
When exactly did the US of A actually manage to hunt down Osama bin laden? If Assange is hunted the same way, he is sage until around 2030.
Maybe Pakistan should pay something for harboring one of the world's worst war criminals? [1]
I don't agree with many of things the U.S. has done in its past relating to war, but there was a Geneva convention for a reason, and it seems like the U.S. is the only one that is trying to abide to it as of late.
bin Laden has been fairly clear on this point: he doesn't think the United States should be involved in the affairs of Muslim nations. He thinks its an outrage that US troops are stationed in the same country as Mecca. There are other offenses on his list, to be sure, but this is the big one.
Sounds quite similar to this viewpoint: "In politics as in religion, my tenets are few and simple....meddling as little as possible in [other nations'] affairs where our own are not involved."
— George Washington
I imagine bin laden was still protected by Pakistani laws, same as people inside the US are protected by US laws, even if they've pissed off some other country
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