A second extensive round-up from Watching America.com
Al-Jazeera, Qatar
Spain’s Osama Legacy
“The bombing of Madrid was the most significant attack on the West since 9/11. In the immediate aftermath, it changed Spanish government policy. It also changed the way people felt about their security. Travellers around Atocha believe the death of bin Laden won’t change it back. ”
Al-Jazeera, Qatar
Death of Bin Laden
Arab News, Pakistan
Victory for Justice
“A powerful symbol has been destroyed. It has taken a long time, but it is an important victory for justice. A mass murderer whose victims included so many innocent Saudis and foreigners in the Kingdom has come to his just deserts. ”
The Telegraph, U.K.
Al-Qaeda: The Next Generation
“But even as America celebrates the death of the man who more than any other came to represent evil in our time, there is little reason for jubilation. ”
The Telegraph, U.K.
America’s Task Does Not
End with Bin Laden’s Death
“Yesterday, though, was a reminder to the world not only that America is a force for good but also that it is implacable. ”
Arab News, Saudi Arabia
He Espoused a
Deviant Ideology
“Islam prohibits war, participation in it and encouraging it, except for justifiable reasons, such as resistance to transgression and in self-defense as well as the defense of one’s family, possessions, nation and religion. Holy Qur’an is very clear: ”
Dawn, Pakistan
With All on Board
“The UN needs to convene a purpose-oriented meeting of all stakeholders including the US, Pakistan, Iran, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Nato, etc and evolve a common agenda for approaching the Taliban insurgents. ”
The Economist, U.K.
The Evolution of al-Qaeda
“With Mr bin Laden dead and its bases in south and east Yemen able to provide better protection from attack than core al-Qaeda’s North Waziristan heartland, AQAP has the potential to increase its influence over the whole organization. ”
Dawn, Pakistan
More of the Same?
“It is also worth noting that the CIA has been the part of the US security complex most willing to point out the failures and gaps in America’s Afghanistan strategy. There are concerns that Petraeus’s leadership at the agency will stifle such candid assessments, given his own contributions in that war. ”
Daily Telegraph, Australia
Winning a War One
Terrorist at a Time
“Many of those top-level al-Qaeda personnel who in 2001 would have rejoiced in the attacks on the US and then in the attacks on Australians in Bali one year later are now dead or captured. ”
Daily Telegraph, Australia
A Victory but the War Not Won
“In the long term, without resolution of the grievances of terrorists, we should not expect any real change in the threat from terrorism. ”
The Nation, Pakistan
Notorious Exploits
of the CIA
The Nation, Pakistan
The Pak-U.S. Relations
“The CIA, which had worked hand-in-glove with the ISI, was awed by our agency’s professional prowess in defeating the Soviets – a superpower. The Americans, therefore, decided to demonise the mujahideen and pressurised Pakistan to ‘clip the ISI’s wings.’ ”
The Nation, Pakistan
Index of Western
Democratic Agenda
“The US has a long-overdue responsibility to side with international law and fairness. ”
The Australian, Australia
Pakistan’s Role Most Significant Element
in Osama Bin Laden’s Demise
“Greater co-operation between the US, its allies and Pakistan is essential if ultimate success in Afghanistan is to be achieved. ”
Dawn, Pakistan
Soldier’s Mental Illness
“The lesson US military leaders drew was that while the soldiers’ private morality made it hard for them to kill, the right training could overcome their moral inhibitions. So they changed the training. ”
The Australian, Australia
Pressure Is Now on Islamabad
“The killing of bin Laden offers an opportunity to recalibrate Western policy towards Afghanistan in a positive direction, away from the fantasy of sharing power with the Taliban and towards the required pressure on Pakistan to arrest the Taliban leaders. ”
The News, Pakistan
The Mouse That Roared
“Experts who belong to the region, notably Farhat Taj, have no doubt that the Predator attacks are actually welcomed by the tribesmen because the targets are terrorist groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Al Qaeda and their foreign affiliates. ”
The Australian, Australia
Huge Win for Obama
and the Americans
“In military matters, as in politics and indeed even sport, momentum can be everything. The big Mo is with the Americans decisively today. ”
The Australian, Australia
Acolytes Will Be Galvanised to
Avenge Their Leader’s Killing
“The martyred bin Laden will live on as a powerful cause celebre. His acolytes worldwide – most acutely in Pakistan – will be enraged by his killing by US forces on Pakistani soil, and will be galvanised to avenge it. ”
N.Z. Herald, New Zealand
Bin Laden’s Death
Symbolic Victory for U.S.
“If there is a day that a “war on terror” can end, it might have been yesterday. ”
The Nation, Thailand
This Will Not Be the End
of the War on Terror
“Few thought that, in their quest to defeat the communists, that these jihadists would forge a common link and form a new agenda of their own. ”
The Manila Times, Philippines
Osama May Be Dead,
Terror Threats Remain
“At least the United States will not suffer the humiliation dealt to Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Tsarist Russia, the British Empire, and as mentioned earlier, the Soviet Union. The death of bin Laden opens an exit for the US, and it should take it as quickly as possible. ”
Al Jazeera, Qatar
Mythos of Obama and Osama
Korea JoongAng Daily, South Korea
Osama’s Death Not
an End to War
“While bin Laden’s fall will be a temporary setback for the terrorist group, the organization will not give up that easily. ”
New Straits Times, Malaysia
Osama’s Death Will Ensure
Peaceful and Safe World
“Najib said the death of Osama would also serve as a lesson to everyone that violence cannot contribute to any good but rather would only bring about destruction to all. “
Robin Koerner is a British-born citizen of the USA, who currently serves as Academic Dean of the John Locke Institute. He holds graduate degrees in both Physics and the Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge (U.K.). He is also the founder of WatchingAmerica.com, an organization of over 100 volunteers that translates and posts in English views about the USA from all over the world.
Robin may be best known for having coined the term “Blue Republican” to refer to liberals and independents who joined the GOP to support Ron Paul’s bid for the presidency in 2012 (and, in so doing, launching the largest coalition that existed for that candidate).
Robin’s current work as a trainer and a consultant, and his book If You Can Keep It , focus on overcoming distrust and bridging ideological division to improve politics and lives. His current project, Humilitarian, promotes humility and civility as a basis for improved political discourse and outcomes.