In virtually every city he recently visited in Asia, President George Bush was greeted by a wave of protests. Demonstrators took to the streets to denounce the US president for his double dealing and malicious cynicism. The tour may have helped cement official relations, but it has alienated the public in every country Bush has set foot in. Interestingly, President Bush has started talking about Bin Laden, following a long silence. For months, the US president eschewed any reference to the Al-Qaeda leader, preferring to focus on other international figures and problems. As it happened, people started accusing Bush of intentionally ignoring Bin Laden, the man he'd promised to capture following the 9/11 attacks. During a surprise visit to Kabul, Bush vowed to capture Bin Laden and bring him to justice, along with his ally Mullah Mohamed Omar, leader of the Afghan Taliban movement. Bush claimed that US forces have made progress in their hunt for so-called terrorists. His claim contrasts the conclusions many analysts have reached; namely, that US policies have exacerbated the problem of terror worldwide instead of ending it. The US president found it hard to be in Afghanistan and avoid mention of Bin Laden, a man who could be hiding just a short distance away from where Bush was standing, for all we know. Bush had to bring up the issue before others did. And he may have wanted to remind the Americans that their main nemesis, Bin Laden, is still on the loose and that they have to stand by their president until the man is captured. Now that the popularity of the US president is at its lowest ebb, due to the catastrophic situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, he had to make an appeal for public support. For all the outward animosity between Bush and Bin Laden, it is in Bush's advantage that Bin Laden remains free. For the past four years, Bin Laden's freedom has benefited the US president more than it hurt him. Bush admitted once that Bin Laden helped him defeat his Democratic challenger, John Kerry. A videotape showing Bin Laden making threats to the Americans tipped the balance in Bush's favour during the 2004 presidential elections. Now that Bin Laden has become a symbol of international terror, the US administration is using him to justify its infringement on civil rights at home and its pre- emptive wars overseas. Conspiracy theorists speak of an unwritten pact between Bush and Bin Laden; a pact through which the actions of one man reinforce the schemes of the other. On the one hand, the crimes and wars of the US president drive Muslim young men to join the ranks of Al-Qaeda. On the other, the threats of Bin Laden provide a fig leaf for US naked aggression. It is an unholy alliance, and one for which the world is paying dearly.
