Obama was announcing the Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death on an assault at his secret headquarters in Pakistan on 1 May 2011 with the words, “Justice is done, mission accomplished.” In Washington, a rerun of the ‘breaking news’ flashed with an update: Bin Laden’s body was wrapped in a shroud and dumped in the sea, thus ended a decade which started with the planes taking off from Boston at about 9 a.m. in the morning to end up smashing into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. CIA Director was saying, “Today, America is more secure than the day when Osama was still living,” and adding, “This does not mean the end of the network.” However, the essential question we need to ask is whether justice was really served or mission was really accomplished.
The last ten years have been a period of prevailing fundamentalism, dogmas, tragedy, destruction and fear. Tragedy, destruction, and fear still go on. Dogma still rules over all segments including the politics, culture, and personal lives. Human tragedies snowball containing countries like Libya and Syria. “Mission accomplished,” was a statement by the former US President George Bush. Obama was destined to accomplish it. However, the real question is still left unanswered: Has justice really been served? Has the mission really been accomplished? I am in Washington D.C. the next week after the killing of Bin Laden. I am among the people who jubilate about the rendering of justice and the accomplishment of mission, by hoisting the pictures of their loved ones who were killed in terrorist attacks. September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks claimed the lives of more than 3000 people. The attacks were gross crimes and gruesome violence against humanity. Yes, in this context, killing of the mastermind of these attacks meant the serving of justice.
In the wake of the September 11, I was invited to New York for a conference themed on these fresh terrorist attacks. It was November 2001. New York was so silent, confused and furious. While I now stroll on the streets of Washington D.C. and mix with the crowd in front of the White House, I witness an explosion of joy and a state of euphoria. This change, in a way, tells us that with the killing of Bin Laden, the September 11 came to an end. On the streets of Washington D.C. is the joy and jubilation of the end of September 11.
Is September 11 really over? While there is a worldwide injustice and human tragedy, or to put it more concretely, as long as there is no normalization and no human-oriented change in security risk zones like Afghanistan and Iraq, can we ever talk about justice being served and September 11 being over, even if Osama bin Laden has been killed?
In Washington D.C., I am watching the news shows on the TV and reading the newspapers besides talking to the foreign policy experts of the think tanks. A common point arises; the rest are differing interpretations. The common point is; a year and a half away from the presidential elections, Obama seems to have accomplished an immense victory. Obama is stronger today than ever. Moreover, maybe more importantly, since the presidential race he took in 2008 until today Obama always centered in on the Afghanistan and Taliban issues and reiterated that a victory in Afghanistan will render great importance on the future of Iraq. With the killing of Bin Laden, the mission has not only been accomplished and justice has not only been served; in the same time, strategically, an important step has been taken for the solution of the issue of Afghanistan and Taliban. Obama’s hand is hot before the elections; he even made a significant move towards proving himself right about his decision to focus on Afghanistan. If, as a result of Bin Laden’s killing, a process towards stability starts in Afghanistan, and if Taliban is weakened, then Obama will really be proven right. The stability in Afghanistan will strengthen the possibility of Iraq’s stability in the future. The more Obama will come right; he will have his power strengthened. Let us highlight this point.
While saying, “Justice has been served,” Obama mentioned that both during Bush administration and his administration, this war has never been against Islam and Muslims, but against the Al-Qaeda terror network. We wonder if the killing of Bin Laden will reverse the effects of the ongoing tendency of Islamophobia and alienation of Muslims in Europe and US. There are serious doubts on this issue. The discrimination, marginalization and alienation towards Muslims in Europe reach to racial proportions. Enmity towards migrants and Islamophobia spans a wider touch on political parties, law, and daily life and being practiced. It is not much different in the US; Islam is still being coded with terrorism and fundamentalism. Justice will only be served if human tragedies experienced worldwide on the grounds of wars, invasions, alienations, and Islamophobia are over; the mission will be accomplished only then. However, I do not believe that the killing of Bin Ladin will form a positive breaking point for the recent rise in the Islamophobic tendencies and reactions developed (sometimes to the extent of racism) against multiculturalism. It will not be easy to break the relationship of causality which has been placed in the recent years between the Al Qaeda and Islam; unless an accomplishment will not be made in this field, justice will never be served.
One cannot doubt that the killing of Bin Laden dealt a massive blow to the Al-Qaeda of his leadership. However, will this blow lead to seriously weakening the network? It is yet not easy to say ‘yes’ in reply. Al-Qaeda is a horizontally organized, cellular and networked organization. Even if some cells in this structure were caught, bin Laden had always been elusive, and in the last decade, the organization gained strength. Would killing of their leader today finish an organizational structure resembling companies operating globally? This seems so difficult. Osama bin Ladin had become a ‘symbol’ in the Al-Qaeda which gained strength as organized around cells. What will determine about the weakening of the Al-Qaeda will not be the death of Bin Ladin, but the strengthening and materialization of the Arab Spring and the clarion call of democracy in the Middle East. At this junction, Turkey has to shoulder responsibility as a role model. Undoubtedly, it is to the extent that it patches up with the deficiencies of democracy within itself and that it poses a strong attitude against divisive tendencies.
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