Abbottabad letters

The most striking thing about these documents is bin Ladens preoccupation with his brand. He was concerned that the actions of these self-willed al-Qaeda affiliates was damaging its appeal,he even considered changing al-Qaedas name to disassociate it from them. His annoyance with these franchisees was a matter of principle as well as positioning. He was concerned with the way their attacks ended up killing many Muslims,alienating them,provoking strong reprisals. He was repelled by the ideologues on many online forums who purported to share his beliefs. He also had a puzzling code of honour he was apparently furious that the failed Times Square bomber,Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad,had broken his oath of allegiance to America,because good Muslims do not break covenants. He didnt even seem to have been aware of the attack until it happened another indication of his loosening grip over his own terror apparatus.

The Obama administration may have released this small sample to underline its own biggest victory,and the inevitable waning of bin Ladens power but it only adds to the myth-making. If anything,this exercise has only whetted the interest in the bin Laden collected papers.