Obama, Osama and Pol Pot

Noam Scheiber over at TNR's The Stump on President-elect Obama's Osama focus:

I'm all for catching the guy, and for shaking up an effort that appears to have stalled out under Bush. On the other hand, as intelligence officials tell the Post, "the decentralized al-Qaeda network would remain a threat without him." On top of which, you have to figure the Bushies were dying to catch bin Laden--it would have been a symbolic victory they could use to divert attention from their many national-security failures. If they weren't able to do it with that motivation, you have to figure it's pretty damn hard. [Emphasis my own. KS]

And here I believe Noam touches upon why it's imperative that President Obama capture or kill Osama bin Laden. While it's true bin Laden's tactical involvement in al-Qaeda remains unclear, it's also pretty clear that his hovering presence over the war on terrorism affects both the tangible and less tangible elements of the conflict. I believe Peter Bergen summarized the former pretty well back in July:

As has always been true in shadowy, borderless wars, measuring the strength of the enemy isn't an exact science. It's true that many of the "leaderless jihadis" have set up operations independently of al-Qaeda, but when they turn to bin Laden's organization, it's not just for inspiration but also for training, assistance and direction — in short, for leadership. Many are able and willing to do bin Laden's bidding; they pay very careful attention to his Internet postings and follow his instructions. And although their targets have generally been close to home, their association with al-Qaeda has tended to take their ambitions beyond their borders. What's more, many of these homegrown wannabes live in the West.

It was al-Qaeda's direct involvement that helped a leaderless group of British jihadis mount the multiple London bombings on July 7, 2005, that killed 52 commuters. Two of the bombers had traveled to Pakistan, met with al-Qaeda commanders and made martyrdom tapes with al-Qaeda's video-production arm there. A year later, British investigators uncovered a plot by another cell of British Pakistanis to bring down seven American and Canadian passenger jets. According to Lieut. General Michael Maples, head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, the plotters received direction from al-Qaeda in Pakistan. Bin Laden's interest in British jihadis didn't end there. Jonathan Evans, head of MI5, said last year that "over the past five years, much of the command, control and inspiration for attack-planning in the U.K. has derived from al-Qaeda's remaining core leadership in the tribal areas of Pakistan."

Implementation aside, bin Laden's interminable presence also does a psychological disservice to America's security endeavors abroad. Tora Bora was widely viewed as a military failure that exposed the apex of America's ability to prosecute those whom do her harm. It was the tip of the American saber, and since then - in both Afghanistan and Iraq - our substantive gains and accomplishments have been mixed.

When you attack the United States, it has been said, you run the risk of awaking a "sleeping giant." That line - often attributed to Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto following the empire's attack on Pearl Harbor - rang true then and continued as such until the Vietnam War.

America faces another ambiguous ending once again in Iraq and Afghanistan. Whether we stay or we go, it's pretty obvious that Iran's influence in Iraq is a foregone conclusion. Whether or not we've truly accomplished any of the enumerated goals outlined during the 2003 invasion of Iraq is uncertain. Afghanistan is a failing state in turmoil. How these two fronts have safeguarded the American people from another attack is unclear. Yamamoto's alleged faith in America's retaliatory might stands in question today, as the American superpower seemingly stumbles and swipes at every perceived phantom around the globe.

The nation that won two world wars and destroyed fascism, communism and took the world's reins in the 20th century has been cowered by the aura of a man in a cave. To call this a step backward would be a gross understatement.

In 1998, the unsatisfying campaign in Southeast Asia was perhaps concluded with the equally unsatisfying death of Cambodian Prime Minister Saloth Sar - also known as Pol Pot. The man whose Khmer Rogue militia murdered over a quarter of their fellow Cambodians - only to flee when a victorious and emboldened Vietnam invaded his nation - died quietly that year, perhaps naturally, in a small Cambodian village. The world has often been robbed of the chance to directly redress the actions made by some of its worst wrongdoers. Pol Pot's death - whether it was natural, self induced or internal betrayal - left a lasting and unpleasant taste in the mouths of policy makers. It encapsulated an opportunity lost, and perhaps closed the parenthesis on America's Southeast Asian adventurism.

This is why President Obama must capture, and if necessary, kill Osama bin Laden. Dead or alive, show the world he has been detained or terminated. Make him take the global perp walk if possible, and give Americans the justice often denied the victims of global atrocities. Doing so will not make up for other blunders conducted abroad, but it just might prove once again that the "Sleeping Giant" always gets its man.