Bin Laden's dead, but what does it mean for Britain?

I woke up today to the news that Bin Laden has finally been found and killed. His 10 year terror has been put to an end but I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’m completely conflicted; on the one hand his death means that the world can let out that 10 yearlong breath they have been holding and the victims that survived, and families of the victims that didn’t can get some sort of closure for the atrocity that was 9/11. On the other hand what does his death mean for the world, for Britain and for any ally, which includes Bangladesh?

At this moment I honestly doubt that Bangladesh will be affected much, the country is not really a world player and though extremism there is on the rise, it is still such a small number that it will not affect the country as a whole. It is for Britain that I worry. The death of Bin Laden has brought on so much celebration across the country, and indeed across the world but people are not looking into the long-term consequences of this.  

Whilst celebrations are underfoot, the world has just become a much more dangerous place. I can’t shake the fear that this could lead to a total war- that is a war that affects every member of society in all realms. Bin Laden’s death could, very much be another Franz Ferdinand assassination tale. I just feel like a world war is imminent and it is not solely because of the terrorists.

No one can deny that the west have been aggressive in their “war on terror”, they have we have become aggressive war mongers who have little qualms about the deaths of innocent civilians. US and British air raids have killed many innocent families which include children, yet they have been shaken off as “collateral damage”. Are we really o.k with this? If the same had happened here or in the US would we have been o.k with the victims being called accidents of the “war on terror”. It’s outrageous! This war has become, but maybe always has been, more than one against terror. It’s gone far beyond a war on terror and is now also an expansionist one. Oil, oil, oil? Is it such a precious commodity that governments will put the lives of children, even the lives of their own children, at risk? Why are we supporting a war which is on part driven by economic expansion? The money we spend on bulking up our armies could be used on more worthwhile things- education for all, maybe?

Again I’m conflicted: I hate this war for its innocent victims, I hate this war for its expansionist ways but I can’t deny that it is important to rid the world of terrorism. I can’t forget that if an isolationist approach was taken, Middle Eastern dictators would continue to commit heinous crimes against humanity. What do we do? Can we sit back? No. Should we be aggressive? No.

Diplomacy. Why can we not effectively use diplomacy? What is it about us global powers that means that time and time again international organisations made to prevent further wars (NATO, UN, etc.) fail? In any case Bin Laden’s death and ocean burial (another stupid move on America’s part) should be treated with a pinch of salt; we’ve yet to see the repercussions of it.