Obama’s presidency has been marked by controversial decisions ranging from health care reform to the economic aspect. The critical event of this period was Operation Geronimo to eliminate the head of the terrorist organization Osama bin Laden. The decision to carry out this operation still raises a lot of questions. However, I believe that Obama’s team was justified because the entire world’s security was at stake. This paper reviews and analyzes the facts and sources explaining the practicality of the special operation.
First, it is necessary to begin far before the operation, namely in 1998, when the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, declared Osama bin Laden the enemy of all American people and the aim of number one to destroy. Future information shows that this information is a bit skewed, as if the military had had the opportunity to arrest the terrorist, they would have taken it (Krishna, 2019). There were several attempts to find the al-Qaida leader, but a series of events prevented the plan from being carried out each time. From this, it can be concluded that Barack Obama was not the only initiator of bin Laden’s elimination but one of the later leaders. They continued the work of their predecessors.
After many years of searching, the terrorist leader’s whereabouts were established, and a special operation to capture America’s number one enemy was launched. The best men of the special force units were employed for this purpose, who reported a successful execution 40 minutes after the start (Dye et al., 2018). Among the casualties were two men, bin Laden and the man he was covering as a human shield. Based on this data, it is logical to conclude that the capture and elimination of the al-Qaeda leader cost the American and British sides one helicopter. Still, it saved many potential future victims from the hands of terrorists. The lifesaving cost was acceptable, as the allies’ human resources were unaffected.
President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took charge of the operation. They watched live and did not interfere with the experts, which had just as much effect on the success of Operation Geronimo. Such a move is a significant strategic move since the President had the opportunity to be one of the first to address the nation immediately, addressing the country with words about the murder of one of the great criminals of our time.
The consequences of this operation can be called a success because, in addition to killing the terrorist leader, who could have killed more than a hundred more ordinary people, this operation demonstrated the power of the U.S. armed forces. Previously, America had been unsuccessful in several global conflicts, including Vietnam. This could have called into question the military’s ability to function and demonstrated the command’s weakness in decision-making, as evidenced by bin Laden’s terrorist attack in 2001. However, Operation Geronimo showed that, despite several unsuccessful attacks in theaters of operations worldwide, the U.S. Army is still one of the strongest in the world (Krishna, 2019). Thus, the demonstration also added motivation to the Army itself and demonstrated the heroism and patriotism for which the soldiers were fighting.
In addition, the decision to take revenge on bin Laden was also related economically. Even though the assassination of the ruler of the Middle Eastern country was to disrupt the economic influence in the region, on the contrary, it has added prestige to the United States in the world political and economic arena (Dye et al., 2018). This is primarily due to the need to conclude a peace treaty on the terms of the winning side and the possibility of stabilization and agreements in terms of trade and economy. This operation was able to affect relations with the countries of the East and liberate large numbers of people from the tyranny of a cruel ruler.
It is also worth noting that this step helped Obama to show not only the strength of the armed forces but also the moral position of his country to eliminate dangerous criminals. Such a move can be seen as proof that the U.S. has a tough stance on dealing with difficult people who threaten the country’s security.
As a result, various events can be said to have overshadowed Obama’s presidency. However, the move to eliminate Osama bin Laden overshadowed the president’s previous problems and showed his determination. This operation was carried out successfully and without mistakes on the part of the soldiers and the leadership, and most importantly, it bore fruit. It was not for nothing that the people of America trusted their leader and elected him to a second term. It is safe to say that Geronimo brought more positives than negatives, for eliminating criminals who have already struck a blow to the integrity of America cannot be forgiven and show what will happen if such events happen again.
References
Dye, D., Dye, J., Kissell, G., Amin Amat, & Del, J. M. (2018). Code word: Geronimo. Idw Publishing.
Krishna, S. (2019). Manhunt presidency: Obama, race, and the third world. Third World Quarterly, 40(2), 284-297.