Justice Done

“Justice has been done”: these were the words that personified the US’s achievement in the war on terror with the killing of Osama bin Laden. Justice — with regards to avenging the deaths of nearly 3,000 people that were killed in the 9/11 attack. The entire world was shell shocked at seeing the epitome of US business and glory crumble down into dust. The entire US nation had mourned for their beloved ones for nearly a decade and finally they were served with JUSTICE — they sought their REVENGE.

But has the killing of Osama brought about any feeling of content or satisfaction among the bereaved? How has killing him redeemed the many who had lost their loved ones in such a dreadful attack? This is surely hard to answer.

However, perceiving the celebrations that erupted soon after President Obama’s announcement, there did seem a heightened sense of satisfaction and relief.

Bin Laden had wronged in killing the thousands of innocent people, not only in the US but the world over. His ideology of seeking ‘blood for blood’ was inhumane and outrageous. He justified his acts saying they were instigated as a result of the US policies, in particular Palestine. However, he voiced his concerns in a very different perspective and in an unusual way, to say the least. Probably because he realised that there were not many listeners and so he had to do something out of the ordinary to grab everyone’s attention. He thus transformed into one of the most feared terrorist in the world.

The US should have tried to capture Osama and put him on trial, just like they did with Saddam. Instead of shooting him in the head, they could have shot him in the arm or the leg or even immobilize him using one of their ingeniously created weapons.

Putting him on trail in a US court would certainly not have resulted in capital punishment. However, many elusive facts could have been revealed and even more conspiracy theories would have generated. I feel that the US feared losing Osama more than capturing him and putting him on trial.

Nevertheless, though there is a feeling of respite and relief among many who suffered at the hands of Osama, Martin Luther King Jr. said it best:

“I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that”.

Karadzic and Saddam: The difference

And so, after thirteen long years of hunting, Radovan Karadzic has been captured and transferred to The Hague where he will stand trial on the charges of genocide. Karadzic went into hiding by drawing upon a false identity of Dr. Dragan Dabic, with a big hairy beard. A scenario much similar to the tale of the Middle East villain, Saddam Hussein, yet the disparity is drastic.

The invasion of Iraq by the US troops led to the capture of Saddam. He was then handed over to a local court in Iraq to be tried for his part of crimes where there were dim chances of a fair trail to be held. Although his crimes were against humanity, were far less heinous than those by Karadzic, at no point were the American prepared to have him tried in an International Court. Probably since the verdict of the capital punishment by a local court would sound much reasonable and far less debatable. Capital punishments around the world have been abolished by democracies and Karadzic would probably be jailed not executed if found guilty.

It would be interesting to see if Karadzic would end up the same fate that of Pinochet and Milosevic or Saddam Hussein.