With the death of Osama Bin Laden, there has been an end to many things- An end to the seemingly never ending pursuit of The US for which it spent 1 trillion dollars, lost many lives and took 10 years, and end to the uncertainity that existed about him. I am writing this to show what implication this has for all;
The US- It got a boost with this face saving exercise, specially in the way this operation was executed, with surgical precision, without any complications or last moment glitches. Now it can think of taking a respectable exit from Af- Pak, specially when there is no oil beneath the sands of these nations.
Pakistan- I feel sorry for them. They have to live in that region and have no other option. Now hangs the sword of perpetual fear of retaliation from Taliban on their heads. Zardari must be turning in his bed. In the international community, they have lost whatever remaining clout they had. The people will face the brunt of attacks as the leaders will go hiding behind their covers. Pakistan, as a country got sucked into a whirlpool when it decided to allow the US to carry actions against Taliban from its soil, and now, it has fallen in direct line of fire from both sides, its people being the worst sufferers. The leadership, for their personal interests [read billions of dollars of foreign aid] sold the sovereignty of their country and now faces the consequences. God save the people of Pakistan, as they suffer for the ill-deeds of their masters.
India- India is currently away from the picture and should keep quiet instead of showing pleasure at the developments, as in no time, it can come under the ambit of terrorism which currently has its focus elsewhere. We are as vulnerable as before- no misconceptions should be there in this regard. One important issue is the bilateral relations with Pakistan. Any statement given now will fall back when both sides will sit for a dialog, and I don’t think India needs to react to this. Taliban has threatened attacks against Pakistan and The US. India should brace itself for any spill over effects and persue its own interests. Nobody has asked for its opinion. We have work going on in Afghanistan, our missions there need more security, so do our goodwill efforts. We can not think of carrying out such attacks on Dawood Ibrahim, so why gatecrash another’s party. If at all we are consulted on Afghanistan, then only our role comes. Also, all the 3 nations0- India and Af- Pak are part of SAARC, where India holds much clout. Involve them over there, and concentrate on our internal affairs. Also, first locate the missing CM and then do anything else. It is a shame that Mr Khandu is still missing.
Afghanistan- For a nation which is trying to collect the pieces and come back towards normalcy, this news will have a greater impact. Now that Osama is dead, there will be a tussle among the factions of Taliban to reclaim his place. One way to do so is carry on more attacks, which will escalate the situation. Now America has an excuse to leave the country when it wants, as the symbolic revenge has been taken. The Government in Afghanistan has to work to build the nation out of scrap.
South Asia- Long term impact of the killing of Osama in particular is negligible, but the future is elusive as always. The word of caution here is to give statements wisely, keeping in mind the long term perspectives and ensuring stability in the region.
China- China openly came out in support of Pakistan and few days back, even Pakistan told Afghanistan to sever ties with the US and move towards China. Now here is the real news. In the future, China seeks a greater role in this region as it has little presence in Afghanistan, which is culturally alienated from it, and closer to South Asia. Meddling in the affairs of Af-Pak will leverage the position of China in South Asia. Economically, the region will be a ready market for dumping cheap Chinese goods, destroying local economy, also providing access to Iran and the Arabian sea.
Rest of the World- It is a news item which managed to shift the focus away from the royal wedding. When there is another news item, this too will move out of public memory and the news papers alike.
Gaddafi and the dissidents against The US- They will be spending sleepless nights and making plans for an honourable reconciliation with the US, sparing them the anxiety that accompanies each sound of an airplane or a helicopter in their vicinity.
By the way, the talk of the town is the relative comfortable situation in which the most wanted person on earth was living, just under the eyes of Pakistani military, Mr Zardari and Gen. Kayani, you have questions to answer to your boss in Washington, be prepared.
Anything and Everything 