South Korea: Opinion: "What concerns even those who largely support the U.S. principles are the unfading American self-righteousness"

Korea Times

Opinion

Wanted dead ― not alive

Eye for eye tactic makes all blind

There is some bitterness in every joy, and all big incidents result in numerous afterthoughts. Yet there are questions behind the U.S. Special Forces’ removal of Osama bin Laden Sunday that cannot be cast aside as those of Monday morning quarterbacks.

Summing up, was it the only and/or best way to solve a global, decade-long problem?

Yes the al-Qaida leader, though reportedly unarmed, could have brought several Navy SEAL soldiers along with him in a suicidal detonation. Or his captivity might bring about more, not less, acts of terrorism.

A top U.N. human rights official has called for the U.S. to make public all the facts to discuss the lawfulness of murdering bin Laden. At least from the viewpoint of Washington there might be few legal problems concerning the ``summary punishment” of an enemy leader in its war on terror.

For all this, many global villagers could sympathize with Rowan Williams, head of the English Episcopal Church, who said the killing of the unarmed bin Laden left him with ``a very uncomfortable feeling … as it didn’t seem to serve justice.” Discoloring the triumphalism demonstrated by the ``justice has been done” remark by U.S. President Barack Obama were conflicting words later about the operation by his own men.

As long as Washington refuses to disclose more truth to dissolve basic questions, including the release of bin Laden’s photos, it would face various challenges ― moral and legal ― amid rampant conspiracy theories. Of course, the U.S. may not have to take the trouble of explaining away doubts about bin Laden’s death itself to rumors that the U.S. had long known about bin Laden’s whereabouts and waited for the right timing to maximize political effects domestically and internationally.

But it is also true such a failure would sharply erode America’s moral superiority in its fights against global terrorists. As Mahatma Gandhi said, ``An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”

U.S. officials are right to say the ongoing ``Arab spring” of democratic movements justifies their ruthless elimination of bin Laden and his al-Qaida group by providing an alternative toward changes in the Muslim world other than terroristic ways.

But few could deny it was past, and even present, U.S. governments that have worked with these Arab dictators for America’s economic and other strategic interests. And these young Arabs hate foreign oppressors as much as, if not more than, homegrown tyrants with at least partial backing of the West.

What concerns even those who largely support the U.S. principles are the unfading American self-righteousness of even justifying torture and increasingly enhancing ``we-or-they” intolerance. It’s time the U.S. started to agonize over how to finish, not expand, war on terror, and rethink its overall Middle East, and global, strategy.

The Korean government should also think about a more balanced approach to foreign policy. The latest, sixth, rocket attacks against Korean workers in Afghanistan may be no coincidence.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2011/05/202_86546.html