The Idea Department

The killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces in Pakistan this week caused a media whirlwind. Several Project Syndicate contributors were quick to join in on the conversation. Here’s a recap of their op-eds.

Many suspect that the only way bin Laden could have hidden in a conspicuous complex next to a military base was with protection from Pakistani forces. Brahma Chellaney goes a step further, acknowledging this fact and urging the necessity of de-radicalizing and demilitarizing Pakistan. He says that bin Laden’s choice to hide there, given the discovery of four other Al Qaeda leaders hiding throughout the country since 9/11, is hardly surprising. Chellaney points out that failed US policy has turned Pakistan into a terrorist sanctuary, even as Pakistan becomes increasingly dependent on US aid. Read here.

Mai Yamani’s editorial draws a connection between Osama’s death and recent revolutionary movements: “Fortunately, Bin Laden’s death comes at the very moment when much of the Islamic world is being convulsed by the treatment that Bin Laden’s brand of fanaticism requires: the Arab Spring, with its demands for democratic empowerment (and the absence of demands, at least so far, for the type of Islamic rule that Al Qaeda sought to impose).” Yamani attributes bin Laden’s extremist ideology to the Wahhabi regime in Saudi Arabia under which he was raised. She warns that unless democracy takes the place of Islamic fundamentalism, the threat of terrorism will never be fully eliminated. Read here.

Richard N. Haass emphasizes that bin Laden’s killing is not a turning point, but a milestone, and that the war on terrorism has no foreseeable end. He says that as a result of the mission, “some terrorists, one hopes, will decide to become former terrorists - and some young radicals might think twice before deciding to become terrorists in the first place”. Haass’ article is a call to action for religious leaders and educators in the Muslim world to strip the concept of terrorism of its legitimacy for those considering it. Read here.

Shahid Javed Burki wades through the complexities of the US-Pakistani relationship. Burki went to primary school in Abbottabad, where bin Laden was in hiding. Read here.

This news event stirred up a controversial dialogue on Project Syndicate’s Facebook as well. Join in at http://www.facebook.com/projectsyndicate.