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  1. World
  2. Middle East
8 May 2011

Osama Bin Laden’s home videos

Extraordinary tapes released by the Pentagon.

By Jonathan Derbyshire

 

 

We know that Osama Bin Laden didn’t have satellite television or an internet connection at his compound in Abbottabad. But it seems he did, at least, have a small portable set and a video machine. In one of five videos (without sound) released yesterday by the Pentagon, a grey-haired, frail-looking Bin Laden is shown watching himself on television.

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In his essay in the current issue of the New Statesman, Olivier Roy emphasises the centrality of the visual image to al-Qaeda’s strategy:

Al-Qaeda always needs a mise-en-scène – the volunteer for death filming himself before carrying out an action, the execution of hostages in front of the camera . . . The staging is then taken up, for free, by the media: rolling coverage of the attack on the World Trade Center, front pages for any attack in which innocent westerners are killed. This mirror effect exacerbates public frear and gives an apocalyptic dimension to al-Qaeda action.

The Pentagon videos give that “mirror effect” a final turn.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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