(Page 2 of 2)  American jihad or the Osama effect: Has US become
uglier & more corrupt power?  May 6, 2012, 02.02PM IST  The
fight against bin Laden changed the way the US government fights
in other ways too. One odd similarity between bin Laden and the
US government, and perhaps one reason that they suited each
other as adversaries, was a tendency to see emotional political
issues as engineering challenges. A desire to get the US out of
the Middle East led bin Laden to his carefully orchestrated
destruction of the World Trade Center. Similarly, difficulties
in safely reaching distant enemies led the US military to
develop unmanned fighter planes.  As with the 9/11 attacks, the
drone is an ingenious technical solution that may succeed in its
immediate goals and yet have negative consequences in the long
run.  The drone seems like a perfect weapon. Operated by remote
control, there is never a chance of a pilot being shot down.
Only the target is killed - and whoever happens to be around
him.  For O'Connell, an