Osama Bin Laden's KillingDid the Obama administration handle the raid, and subsequent killing, of Osama Bin Laden appropriately?
Issue Background
On May 2, 2011, Osama Bin Laden was found and killed by a team of US Navy SEALS. He had been on the US FBI's ten most wanted fugitives since 1998 and had gained infamy for his orchestration of the September 11 attacks. The Obama administration made locating Bin Laden a national defense priority. Once they were confident they had located his compound, President Obama ordered the raid. The Navy SEALS killed Bin Laden in the course of the raid. Bin Laden's body was buried at sea within 24 hours of his death, and he was given a traditional Muslim funeral. The White House chose to bury Bin Laden at sea, and also to withhold photos of Bin Laden's death, for fear that imagery of Bin Laden's killing might induce retaliation or martyrize his death.
Key Arguments
» Yes
- The White House is making the right decision by not releasing photos of Bin Laden's corpse. These photos would only serve to draw the ire of his loyalists unto our country.
- It was better to kill Bin Laden, rather than capture him. A trial would have threatened our national security and would have dragged on for years.
» No
- They should release the photos of Bin Laden's corpse. People are looking for undeniable evidence that our most feared enemy has been killed.
- The SEALS should have been ordered to capture, not kill. Assassinations are illegal and the United States should be setting an international example.
