The Emotional Address by President Obama
The speech by the president Obama after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden was an emotional address focusing on the pain of those who were affected either directly or indirectly by the 9/11 attack. Bin Laden was the mastermind behind this attack and Obama took the initiative and ordered CIA director to either capture or kill Osama Bin Laden a priority in the war against al Qaeda ("Osama Bin Laden Dead," 2011). Obama explains in his speech the importance of the killing of Osama as a milestone in the war against al Qaeda. He believes that the killing is part of the recovery process for Americans ("Osama Bin Laden Dead," 2011). The president insists that the fight against al Qaeda would continue and affirms that the argument is not against Islam. The president calls on unity among the Americans that was portrayed after the 9/11 to continue to prevail.
Announcement of Osama Bin Laden's Demise
Leon Panetta announces the demise of Osama Bin Laden after the US seal team raid and affirms that there were no Americans or civilian casualties during the raid. He hails the killings as a source of comfort from the pain and suffering inflicted by Bin Laden across the world ("Message from the Director: Justice Done - Central Intelligence Agency," 2011). The director thanks and recognizes the works done by all the agencies and the security team involved in taking down Osama Bin Laden. He affirms that the killing of Osama will not be received well by al Qaeda and promises to fight any revenge attempted by the group and to win the war against terrorism.
A Victory Against al Qaeda
Both speeches express a milestone victory against the war on al Qaeda. President Obama claims that the death of the leader of al Qaeda is a win for all those who believe in human dignity and peace. Obama also states that the assassination of Bin Laden is a win for the counter-terrorism agencies, the families that have lost a loved one to terrorism, and the security teams that were involved in killing Bin Laden ("Osama Bin Laden Dead," 2011). Leon Panetta insists that the killing of Osama is a win for the agency officers who have been working hard on operations that led to the killing of Osama ("Message from the Director: Justice Done - Central Intelligence Agency," 2011). He further claims that it possesses the risk of revenge by al Qaeda.
Potential Consequences and Rise of ISIS
I think the killing of Bin Laden will make the United States less safe from terrorism than it was before his death. According to Hersh, (2016), the death of the leader of al Qaeda will increase the chance of revenge by the group due to retaliation. There is also the possibility of the rise of a successor with more intent to harm the United States due to the demise of their leader. The demise of Osama has weakened al-Qaeda, but the Islamic militancy has reached new heights after the assassination (Hersh, 2016). The death of Osama also leads to the rise of ISIS that has terrorized the world due to the decline of al Qaeda's operations.
Difference Between Terrorism and Organized Crime
Terrorism is a form of organized criminal behavior, but it is distinct from organized crime. Terrorism involves acts that are objectively aimed to intimidate the population to achieve either political or social purposes. According to Ronczkowski, (2017), an act of terrorism has a political objective. An organized crime's primary goal is to obtain a material benefit, while secondarily is focused on power and control. They usually involve coercion and violence, but their objective remains profits.
The Overlap of Terrorist and Criminal Activities
A terrorist group and organized criminal groups generally pursue different objectives, but the purposes can overlap. For example, a terrorist group uses organized crime activity to fund their political activities. The clear distinction between the terrorist group and organized criminal activities is the commitment of the organized crime act to one person while a terrorist act can be (Ronczkowski, 2017). An organized criminal group sometimes adapt terrorist acts of large scale public intimidation and indiscriminate violence to fulfill their criminal objectives. The two groups may sometimes ally and eventually develop a capacity to engage in both terrorist and criminal activities.
The Importance of Timely and Accurate Intelligence
Timely and accurate intelligence is fundamental to the insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. The cooperation of various intelligence agencies is essential to gain rapid and accurate intelligence, regardless of the objective of the government the agencies serve (Silke, 2018). Various intelligence agencies aim to democratic freedoms over intelligence collection methods, but democracy should not handicap the effectiveness of the agencies in intelligence collection.
References
Hersh, S. M. (2016). The killing of Osama bin Laden. Verso Books.
Message from the Director: Justice Done — Central Intelligence Agency. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/press-release-2011/justice-done.html
Osama Bin Laden Dead. (2011). Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead
Ronczkowski, M. R. (2017). Terrorism and organized hate crime: Intelligence gathering, analysis, and investigations. CRC press.
Silke, A. (Ed.). (2018). Routledge Handbook of Terrorism and Counterterrorism. Routledge.
