Why the U S will not prevail in Iraq
The U S marines have only one rule in Iraq:shoot first clear the mess later. Any vehicle approaching within 100 meters of a US military humvee is peppered with bullets before questions are asked. Similarly any ordinary Iraqi with a cell phone risks having his guts ripped out by a splatter of M-16 gunfire. Deadly force has become the norm as for as the Anglo American forces are concerned. All this makes for a horrendous loss of civillian life. A 20 something U S soldier says proudly that "we waste people "if they come too close. Just imagine if men used to this level of violence return home. Since September 1 2004 when theAmerican soldiers came to Ramadi more than2000 civillians have been killed inthat city alone.Now the US army with logistical support from the British forces have a new tactic: they hide in wait near the bodies of dead Iraqis and when someone comes to bury the body, they open fire. I wish the commanders of such forces would read one of the outstanding plays of Greek literature, Antigone. They would know that for every one Iraqi they "waste" 10 more will take their place. It is for this reasonr the deadly force is unlikely to yield the desired results.
So far the steady flow ofcasualities has only proved that the American civil society has overcome its distaste for body bags. There is as yet no hope of a settlement that would bring peace with honor.
The run up to the elections as we have always known is proving extremely costly. In the last two days more than 36 Iraqis have dies in bombings, 21 US soldiers have died along with the Allawi regime governor of Bagdad. The projected Sunni Shia divide is not materialising and Iraqis are showing everyone thatthey matter .