Operation Geronimo and Presidential Authority

Often the President of the country must make quite brave and severe decisions. This is especially true in cases where national security is threatened. Thus, an example is the participation of President Obama in Operation Geronimo to kill Osama Bin Laden. Therefore, this persuasive essay aims to prove the validity of the participation of the presidential authority in operation to limit the head of a terrorist organization.

First, it is necessary to understand why the American authorities made the operation of Operation Geronimo. Hence, the decision to put this action into effect was made by President Barack Obama. The goal was to track and kill Osama Bin Laden through United States special forces. The leader of one of the most prominent Islamic organizations became the target of the American authorities because of his responsibility for the infamous terrorist attack in New York on September 11, 2001.

Thus, the presidential authority in this operation plays a unique role since it authorized its conduct. Moreover, he acted as commander-in-chief, which was within his legal authority. Research stated that “this operation was conducted by US Naval forces without any permission and also without any inform to Pakistan” (Mustafa et al., p. 232). The President personally participated in developing a plan to attack the head of an Islamic organization. It was a big responsibility, as many dangerous decisions were made.

Consideration of this topic is necessary to refute the opinion about the wrongness of actions on the part of the presidential authority. On the one hand, the operation needed to limit the danger to national security. On the other hand, it is believed that the head of the country should not take part in actions to kill individuals. However, Bin Laden was a legitimate military target, the elimination of which was necessary to preserve peace.

This essay believes that presidential authority in Operation Geronimo is fully justified. This is because, without the participation of the President of the United States, the operation could not have had true success. In addition, Obama’s involvement helped to unite the old and all forces in the fight against terrorist movements. Thus, the participants of the operation were within their scope of authority and responsibility.

Reference

Mustafa, G., Ali, N., Siddiqui, S., & Shah, Y. F. (2020). Historical analysis of Pakistan’s relations with United States of America under Obama’s Administration. Journal of Historical Studies, 6(1), 219-242.