Needle in a…

Needle in a…

So they finally find the needle in a haystack, in just under 10 years…

What a run for Osama…10 years is a long time to evade the most sophisticated electronic surveillance and the most determined pursuers in the world. In the end, the “chillin’ out in Abbotabad” version was a bit of an anti-climax for the most wanted fugitive, but an incredible chase and an exciting finish nonetheless. If a book were written, it would read like a Ludlum classic – like The Matarese Circle or The Bourne Identity.

After the end of the Cold War, all the great spy stories and counter-espionage tales seemed to fade away…The last decade of the 20th century was sort of tame. Remember “It’s the economy, stupid”. Then 9/11…and the 21st Century was truly upon us. In just two decades, the world went from the fall of communism – to the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism, the rise of the Internet & Mobile Telephony and the rise of China. Who could have foretold such a dramatically different future? Not Nostradamus nor any modern-day political or economic expert. 

On a lighter note…I recall an obscure incident in late 2001. I was traveling to London, leaving Mumbai…and standing in the queue for security. They had this badly blurred, xeroxed poster of Osama at the entry. I couldn’t help thinking – what are the chances that Osama is in India and trying to board a plane from Mumbai? And even if he is, what are the chances that the sad ‘wanted poster’ is actually going to help anyone identify him 🙂 In any case, following Jerry’s advice, I looked at the person in front of me, then the person behind me – neither was him, and that was pretty much I could do about the problem. In hindsight, it is conceivable that he could have shacked up in Khandala and we wouldn’t have had a clue. Needle in a haystack…