When I visited Phillidelphia and saw the Courthouse and Liberty bell, the tour guide made a point of saying how, back in 'those days' the English used to chain their prisoners to the dock and wouldn't allow them to stand.
And this from a country which now has the death penalty in many states.
The answer to the question is, if Osama bin Laden is in a jurisdiction where the death penalty is an allowed sentence, then yes, he'd get it. If not, then he would not.
This is why we need an international court for crimes like this where states sign up to a set of rules and abide by them.
But of course, America won't because it is too afraid that the international court will be used for political retribution. Maybe, maybe not. But I wonder how long America can play this exclusion/inclusion game without the rest of the world wondering whether she's just out for herself or after a more global solution.
Ravs
