Disclaimer: I am not opposed to the killing of bin Laden. I am, however, cautious of using it as a cause for celebration. Remember, the USA is not the only target in the world for terrorists.
Osama bin Laden is dead. He was shot Sunday night in the head by US special forces and buried at sea to adhere with Muslim traditions. Americans were out cheering and chanting in the streets. Obama said in his speech that justice had been served. Tweets, comments and the general feeling among Americans are those of joy, success and a feeling of being surpreme. "We won! We won!" could be heared across the nation. With all due respect to those who lost their loved ones on 9/11, I can understand that the death of the mastermind behind the attacks give some kind of closure. But as Gary Younge so brilliantly put it ,"A desire for vengeance is a legitimate emotional response. But it is not a foreign policy."
It's important to remember that this is not America versus the terrorists. The whole world is involved. For example, many Norwegian soldiers have fought and died in the war in Afghanistan for the last decade. Do Americans think about them? When the pastor in Florida burned the Quran, the outrage that followed killed the first female aviator in the Norwegian forces, Siri Skare. The Quran burning caused an intense debate in American media, but mostly it was an argument about free speech and the right to show dismay with fundamental Islam. Fair enough, but America's first amendment should not be a cause to act like there is no other country in the entire world. Whenever the mighty America desides to poke her powerful finger and stir around on other continets, there are severe effects. It's wise to think back and try to get the picture of what led to the al-Qaeda hatred towards the West. Yes, they are crazy and radical. But their anger didn't grow out of nowhere.
The notion of American exceptionalism with all its hypocricies provokes me. Case in point - the US keeps a huge stockpile of nuclear weapons while urging other nations not to get them. Having lived in the US myself I have come across many proud Americans that know their constitution by heart, but have little to no now knowledge of the outside world or the complexities of foreign politics. "Support out troops" is a common expression. Whenever I engage in discussions about invading foreign countries, I am almost always told that the troops support their freedoms. Whose freedoms? If Americans want their freedom, they need to start with the problems in their own country. It seems like it doesn't matter how many civilians die abroad as long as the soldiers protect America's freedom. And I am sure some of you reading this now will see me as "Anti-American". I assure you am I not. But I am saddened that a country that is so powerful and so little hesitant to interfere with international politics has a population of which so many are oblivious to what is actually happening out in the rest of the world!
President Obama's speech on bin Laden was cleverly written with lots of poweful linguistic effects.
It was nearly ten years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory. Hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky....
Notice the careful use of contrasting adjectives and the reference to the collective national self - the American people.
By now I probably sound like an America-hating, bitter, pro-Osama. I assure you that I am NOT! To be clear.... of course the world is a better place without bin Laden. Of course it was a well-done operation to get rid of that man. And of course it is appropriate to seek closure after losing a loved one.Is the life of an American more valuable than civilians in other countries? How many thousands have died by shots of US soldiers?
Remeber, an eye for an eye only makes the world go blind.
Dead Norwegian Soldiers
