• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, May 2, 2011

One of the greatest publishing (dis)honors that can be bestowed on villains is the big red "X" through their face on the cover of Time magazine: only Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have ever received this treatment. Now Osama bin Laden will join the "X"-ed out ranks, Time announced, on the cover of a special issue to be released May 5.

The May 20th issue (which is being bumped up because Time already devoted the May 16 edition to a special issue covering the royal wedding) will be devoted exclusively to the killing of bin Laden.

While Time has not disclosed the exact contents, readers can expect a lengthy obituary detailing the terrorist leader's life, in-depth reporting about the effort to locate and kill him, and analysis pieces focusing on the meaning of his life as well as the ramifications of his death.

This is an ideal moment to showcase the magazine's high-profile new hire, Fareed Zakaria, who jumped from Newsweek to Time in August 2010. Widely respected for his insights into international relations and geopolitics, especially regarding the Mideast, Zakaria has achieved something approaching ubiquity in the foreign and domestic policy pundit scene over the last decade. He is frequently seen commenting on TV, with his own CNN show "Fareed Zakaria GPS," as well as in print and online, on how best to combat terrorism.

Zakaria has already posted some bold opinion pieces online at his CNN blog, including one titled "This Is the End of Al Qaeda," arguing that the global terrorist organization will likely disintegrate following the loss of its iconic leader. (However, he warns that other terrorist organizations pose a continuing and evolving threat.)