Standards of proof

Standards of proof
We may not convince everyone, but it's important to speak openly

December 15, 2001

By now nearly everyone in the world must have seen the bin Laden tape and discussed it at great length. The question that remains is not what it proves — nothing, really, that we didn’t already know — but how it will affect our efforts to combat terrorism.

The tape itself is unimpressive and largely unintelligible, even to those who do speak Arabic. For the rest of us, it’s a dim and staticky depiction of a group of men who cough and mumble, and the only word we recognize is "Allah." Most translators seem to be in basic agreement on the content of the conversation, but we’re forced to take their word for it.

Still, it’s not the kind of tape one would expect anyone to fabricate as evidence. It begins toward the end and circles back around to the beginning, as often happens as videotapes are reused. The sound is poor and the lighting is insufficient. The men speak of dreams of destruction, giving them far more credence than westerners would think to do. Anyone scripting a tape to convince the world of bin Laden’s guilt in the Sept. 11 attacks would have choreographed a more animated response on his part, in a concise video clip instead of a long, rambling dinner-table conversation. Instead, what we see is his chilling disregard for human life.

But will the tape make much difference in the court of world opinion? Probably not. Americans and our allies have long been convinced of bin Laden’s involvement, and much of the Muslim world, while demanding proof from us, is disinclined to believe any evidence we offer. Critics in the Middle East are much more likely to believe that the United States has the motive and the technology to invent such propaganda as they’ve judged this to be.

Over the next few days, many Muslims may come around to the belief that the tape is exactly what it appears to be: a casual conversation among people who wish America would disappear from the face of the earth. Whether it will increase support in the Middle East for the antiterrorist campaign is anybody’s guess, but it’s also somewhat beside the point. Widespread support among Islamic nations doesn’t eliminate the intense pockets of hatred that breed terrorists. Most important is the fact that Americans are convinced that their country is responding fairly and administering justice rather than returning evil for evil.

Time and the universal availability of information may eventually prove to be the cure, and the release of this video is the beginning of that process. It may not convince our enemies that our war is justified, but it will go a long way toward helping them believe that there’s some logic behind our accusations. In a region that seems to run on emotions, that’s an important step.