The killing of Osama bin Laden illustrates yet again the utter folly of responding to acts of terrorism by waging “pre-emptive†war against nation-states — the heart of the so-called “Bush Doctrine,†which has continued in many (but not all) respects under the Obama administration. It is no small irony that it is being hailed as a great victory in the “War on Terror.â€
The methods that reportedly led to his capture were the antithesis of that doctrine – intelligence was unearthed, old-fashioned police-work developed the lead further and a special forces team executed the operation. Bin Laden was living in the lap of luxury among our allies, not in either of the countries we’ve invaded and occupied since 9/11. Not only was he nowhere near a battlefield, he was in a military cantonment, less than a half-mile away from the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul.