Monday, May 2, 2011

What does the death of Osama bin Laden mean?

What does the death of Osama bin Laden mean to the world today, after ten years of the so-called "War on Terror"? On the next Your Call, we'll open the lines to talk about the significance of Osama bin Laden's death. His body has reportedly been buried at sea. What do you think about President Obama saying we brought Osama bin Laden to "justice"? How will this impact people in Afghanistan and Pakistan? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. What is bin Laden's legacy? How did he change the world? And how did the US shape him as a symbol by framing him as terrorist #1? It's Your Call with Holly Kernan and you.

Guests:
Aunohita Mojumdar is a freelance journalist currently based in Kabul. She has reported from the South Asian region for 19 years.

Ali Kamran Asdar, associate professor of anthropology, Middle East Studies and Asian Studies at the University of Texas, Austin.

Paul Fitzgerald is co-author of Crossing Zero: The AfPak War at the Turning Point of American Empire.

Click to Listen: What does the death of Osama bin Laden mean?

2 comments:

Catholic Chas said...

He was the product of his time and his society. I remember looking at the pictures of Kent State University May of 1970. I went to Kent State in the '80s. In the '80s Kent State was giving door prizes to its football games and not charging for tickets. It could not half fill the stadium, even though the did win a game when I was a junior.

The moral is, if a person fulfills a need, people will follow him. If he does not fulfill a need, like the Kent State football team, you could not pay people to follow him.

If Osama did not come along, his twin would have. Likewise, we we do not fulfill the aspirations, the needs of the Muslim people, his twin can and will come along.

Does Osama's death mean anything. That is for us to decide, not with words but with deeds. If what is going on in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan are any indications, we are in big trouble.

Nancy Schimmel said...

"And how did the US shape him as a symbol by framing him as terrorist #1?" We didn't just shape him as a symbol, we supported him and promoted him as a fighter against the Soviet Union. Just as we supported Saddam against Iran. We need to be careful who we give weapons to.