Responses to the Death of Osama bin Laden

International jubilation at President Obama's surprise announcement last evening that US forces had killed and secured the body of Osama Bin Laden, nearly 10 years after the attack on the World Trade Towers in New York City.

The official reaction in Germany got off to a rocky start when the Steffen Seibert, the spokesman for the chancellor tweeted:

«#Kanzlerin: Obama verantwortlich für Tod tausender Unschuldiger, hat Grundwerte des Islam und aller Religionen verhöhnt

(Chacellor: Obama responsible for the death of thousands of innocents; had ridiculed the basic values of Islam and all religions.)

But he quickly recovered with another statement after the chancellor had congratulated President Obama and expressed her relief (Erleichterung) at the news of his death:

Osama bin Laden war verantwortlich für den Tod tausender unschuldiger Menschen. In seinem direkten Auftrag und in seinem Namen wurde der Terror in viele Länder getragen, er richtet sich gegen Männer, Frauen und Kinder, Christen wie Muslime. Osama bin Laden gab vor, im Namen des Islam zu handeln, in Wirklichkeit jedoch verhöhnte er die Grundwerte seiner und aller anderen Religionen.

(Osama bin Laden was responsbile for the death of thousands of innocent people.  At his direct orders and in his name terror was brought to many countries - terror directed against men, women, children, Christians as well as Muslims. Osama bin Laden pretended to act in the name of Islam; in reality, he ridiculed the basic values of his and all other religions.)

 Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle  also reacted with relief about the news:

"Dass diesem Terroristen sein blutiges Handwerk gelegt werden konnte, ist eine gute Nachricht für alle friedliebenden und freiheitlich denkenden Menschen in der Welt."

("It comes as very good news to all peace-loving and freedom-oriented people in the world that this terrorist can no longer carry out his bloody mission.")

At the same time, Westerwelle cautioned that Bin Laden's deatn would not change Germany's policy in Afghanistan.

Labor minister Ursula von der Leyen said that the news would be a "salve for America's wound" ("Balsam" auf der Wunde der US-Amerikaner).  Anyone who has been to Ground Zero in New York City can only hope that von der Leyen is correct: emotions remain nearly as raw as they were in those terrible days following September 11, 2001.

Still, the jubiliation in Germany was tempered somewhat by concerns of a potential revenge act on German soil.  Just last week, three men who were suspected of belonging to an al-Qaeda cell in Duessldorf were arrested for plotting a major bombing on a public venue.  Markus Guenther tries to rain on the American parade in the Augsberger Allgemeine:

Die Nachricht wird überschätzt. Weder ändert sein Tod etwas an der internationalen Sicherheitslage noch taugt diese Nachricht als Beleg dafür, dass der Kampf gegen den internationalen Terrorismus erfolgreich ist. Dass es gelungen ist, Osama bin Laden zur Strecke zu bringen, mag eine gute Nachricht sein.  Doch von der späten Genugtuung abgesehen, ist die Todesnachricht nichts als eine historische Fußnote.

("Too much is being made of the news. His death does not change the international security situation nor does the news offer any proof that the war on international terror is a success.  Sure, it's good that they succeeded in putting an end to Osama bin Laden.  But other than providing some belated satisfaction the news of the death is nothing but a historical footnote.")

 

Comments

[Hattie]

Watch those tweets!

[Strahler 70]

It was a stupid idea to dump Osama's corps into the ocean before convincing everybody in the world he's really dead. The story could be true (that's what I think), but it could also be doctored as well. Those who don't believe it will say it's the logical end of a story which was a hoax from day-1.

[Strahler 70]

As military chaplain of the Al Qaeda Bin Laden stood under the protection of the Geneva Conventions, Protocol I, his killing thus being a severe crime against humanity. Obama should be brought to the International Court of Justice. ;)

[John in Michigan, USA]

@Strahler:

I'm guessing that the remark about a chaplain is a joke, and the target of the joke is those who complain about the Osama assassination being a crime against humanity?

I think the manhunt, and the raid itself, was a virtually perfect success, and I give Obama full credit for his leadership.

I think the handling of matters after bin Laden's death has been much more of a mixed success. For example, there is all this emphasis on how his body was handled in accordance with Islam, but then he is buried at sea, which isn't Islamic. I read one cleric who said that an unmarked grave at an undisclosed location would have been the right way to do it if we care about Islamic funeral rites.

But that begs the question: doesn't treating him as a Muslim imply a connection between what he did and Islam itself?

So the handling of the body, for example, sent a very mixed message. Given the months that Obama had to plan his mission, he could have done a better job planning for what happens after the mission succeeds.

Still, post-success problems are the best kind of problems to have!