It goes without saying that Osama bin Laden’s death is welcome news. But more than that, it is a teachable moment for how the U.S. ought to be carrying out its counter-terrorism policy moving forward. Targeted killing is an essential component of the fight against al Qaeda. Much of the public debate has focused on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to carry out targeted killings–a misplaced emphasis on means rather than ends. International counterterrorism is primarily an intelligence campaign, and the select application of lethal force is more effective than the deployment of large military units to Muslim nations. A scalpel, not a sledgehammer, should be our primary counterterrorism tool.
Bin Laden’s demise is in some ways not news, but an event that confirms many things we have known for years. Bin Laden’s hideout was not a cave, but an expansive compound in a community of well-to-do Pakistani military retirees–confirmation that Pakistan is a conflicted ally and that elements of her intelligence services are working for the other side.
