Searching For Osama?

Last month, the American Prospect published a short essay suggesting that the goal of American policy in the Islamic World ought to be to find Osama Bin Laden and bring him to justice. I'm no expert on the Middle East and anti-terrorism, but I wondered whether that was right. If the point of capturing bin Laden is that he plays a crucial role in Al-Quida, so that his capture is likely to save a great many innocent lives, I have no problem with risking military lives in an effort to realize this goal. But the essay seemed to offer a Kantian rationale, that Americans ought to continue efforts to capture Bin Laden because he deserves to be punished.

I'm not sure about this one. Indeed, I think it is wrong. Imagine, even hypothetically, that either Bin Laden is no longer capable of doing much harm or that his capture is unlikely to effect Al-Quida much. Again, I have no clue whether these assumptions are correct, they are simply being advanced for the purpose of argument. Imagine further that efforts to capture Bin Laden are likely to result in the death of American soldiers and (relatively) innocent civilians. Should American soldiers risk their lives and the lives of innocent civilians just to bring someone to justice. I confess to thinking this mistaken policy. Our goal in the Islamic world, among other things, should be reducing future violence. Bringing the perpetrators of past violence to justice ought to be a priority only to the extent that doing so reduces future violence (and I rather doubt that any future Bin Laden will be deterred by the prospect of criminal punishment). Kant might be upset with Bin Laden being allowed to live out his days in a hole somewhere, but I would rather he be upset than more parents grieve that their children were killed in a mission that had no practical consequences.