I agree for the most part, with a minor disagreement on the following statement:
>The only confusing actor is Bin Laden, who attacked a superpower that had already expressed a desire to invade his people.
The superpower was already occupying much of his people through puppet dictators; the Saudi, Egyptian, Yemeni, Bahraini, Jordanian and Lebanese for example. Israel was created out as a "Jewish state" on 78% of Palestine while the population of Palestine was still only 34% Jewish after mass-migration campaign of the 1900s (1905 Jewish population of Palestine was 3%) but their bombings on Palestinian villagers successfully cleansed some 80% of the native population. The refugees still aren't allowed to return while any Jew (born Jewish or converted) can instantly migrate to Palestine and get a US-subsidized home in a Jewish only settlement.
The US diplomatic, monetary and military support for this 60+ year old occupation and denial of injustice was a major motivation for Osama.
Every year the US and Israel vote against this UNGA resolution while the rest of the whole world votes for a peaceful settlement (i.e. normalization of relations and recognition of Israel in return for a Palestinian state on 22% of original Palestine and a symbolic return of some refugees, some compensation for the rest of the refugees, which would give Israel the chance to preserve a Jewish majority rather than equal rights for all).
https://www.google.com/search?q=peaceful+settlement+of+the+q...
"The Assembly also adopted by a recorded vote of 164 in favour to 7 against ( Australia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, United States), with 3 abstentions ( Cameroon, Canada, Tonga) (Annex IV), the resolution on the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”."
I understand his impetus, but not his actions. It would be foolish to expect his actions to promote the Islamist cause, and in hindsight they are the worst possible actions one could take to advance his cause. However, given his connections to western intelligence agencies I don't think that he was acting on the behalf of Islam.
Indeed, killing civilians is not an "Islamist" act, Islam prohibits the killing of non-combatants even during war, 9/11 was not even an official war. It didn't help the Palestinian cause nor did it help the Afghans or Iraqis who got killed after that (even though no Afghans nor Iraqis had anything to do with 9/11).
>I don't think that he was acting on the behalf of Islam.
His acts were as much about Islam as Vietnam war or any American President's mass-murders were about Christianity.
The US was supporting Osama and buddies to kill USSR by proxy. The US was also supporting Iraq's Saddam in 1980s to get rid of Iranian regime (after 1979 when Iranians toppled the 1953 US-UK-installed puppet King), the US continues to support Saudi misogynists who present their fanatic views as Islamist, Obama supported Islamists in Libya (even supported some Al-CIAda terrorists who were on US terror list) and now they are supporting the so-called Islamists in Syria.
>The only confusing actor is Bin Laden, who attacked a superpower that had already expressed a desire to invade his people.
The superpower was already occupying much of his people through puppet dictators; the Saudi, Egyptian, Yemeni, Bahraini, Jordanian and Lebanese for example. Israel was created out as a "Jewish state" on 78% of Palestine while the population of Palestine was still only 34% Jewish after mass-migration campaign of the 1900s (1905 Jewish population of Palestine was 3%) but their bombings on Palestinian villagers successfully cleansed some 80% of the native population. The refugees still aren't allowed to return while any Jew (born Jewish or converted) can instantly migrate to Palestine and get a US-subsidized home in a Jewish only settlement.
The US diplomatic, monetary and military support for this 60+ year old occupation and denial of injustice was a major motivation for Osama.
Every year the US and Israel vote against this UNGA resolution while the rest of the whole world votes for a peaceful settlement (i.e. normalization of relations and recognition of Israel in return for a Palestinian state on 22% of original Palestine and a symbolic return of some refugees, some compensation for the rest of the refugees, which would give Israel the chance to preserve a Jewish majority rather than equal rights for all). https://www.google.com/search?q=peaceful+settlement+of+the+q...
http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/997AAD7178DBFD6685257995...
A/RES/66/17
26 January 2012
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/ga10791.doc.htm
"The Assembly also adopted by a recorded vote of 164 in favour to 7 against ( Australia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, United States), with 3 abstentions ( Cameroon, Canada, Tonga) (Annex IV), the resolution on the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”."
http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/cd358b22995a4b078525767e...
Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine A/64/L.23 23 November 2009
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/resolving-the-israel-palest...
Year
Vote
[Yes-No-Abstained]
Negative votes cast by… 2005
156-6-9
Israel, United States , Australia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau
2006
157-7-10
Israel, United States , Australia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau
2007
161-7-5
Israel, United States , Australia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau