Osama Bin Laden: From Ally to Enemey

Osama Bin Laden; a name associated across the world with terrorism. Every American knows this name as the face of evil. The man solely responsible for 9/11 and much more. He was America’s public enemy number one up until the day he died on May 2, 2011. That being said, would you believe me if I told you, he was not always our enemy? “He was our kind of guy until he wasn’t, an ally during the Cold War until he no longer served our purposes” (Scheer). Osama fought for our side and helped us end a ten-year war with Russia.

In 1979, Russia invaded Afghanistan in attempt to communize yet another country. According to the 1947, Truman Doctrine America is required to aid any countries who are threatened by the spread of communism. Afghanistan was a country in aid and America would not just sit back and allow Russia to convert another country to communist reign. “In short, it was an ill-fated and unjustifiable intervention by the US into another nation’s internal affairs” (Scheer). This is America’s known role in global affairs. America is still known to this day as the country that pushes themselves into warfare. Russia was a threat to America standing as the most powerful country that had the most influence, so in turn they had to be crushed.

Due to the already swollen population of Muslims who were against Russia’s reign and already resigned in Afghanistan. America saw this as the perfect opportunity to create an army of Islamist’s from around the world. Osama Bin Laden began as one of America’s Mujahedeen Guerrilla soldiers. This was not Osama’s first brush at pushing out a form of western civilization. “While studying civil engineering and economics at King Abdulaziz University, Bin Laden became a disciple of the Muslim Brotherhoo...

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...t they were a Trojan horse.

Works Cited

1. Hutchinson, Bill. "Osama Bin Laden's Transformation: Rich Saudi Scion to U.S. Ally to Public Enemy No. 1." NY Daily News. NY Daily News, 3 May 2011. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.

2. Karon, Tony. "Why Bin Laden's Death No Longer Really Matters." World Why Bin Ladens Death No Longer Really Matters Comments. Time Magazine, 1 May 2011. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.

3. Phillips, James. "The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan." The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation, 8 Jan. 1980. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.

4. Scheer, Robert. "Osama Bin Laden: A Monster of Our Own Creation | The Nation." Osama Bin Laden: A Monster of Our Own Creation | The Nation. The Nation, 04 May 2011. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.

5. Zernike, Kate, and Michael T. Kaufman. "The Most Wanted Face Of Terrorism." Www.nytimes.com. The New York Times, 2 May 2011. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.