Mercenary for hire
or
Child for sale
I know what you are saying is very true, but for practical purposes yes, the value of the soldier and a child do differ. Civilian populations have always been traumatized by war, civil unrest, police action, internal conflicts and rebellion. In many cases civilian populations have been targeted by campaigns of genocide or suicide bombings. The attacks by Al Qaeda are different, they are directed towards non-combatants regardless of religion, race, origin or political belief. The attacks have no purpose beyond creating schisms, causing hatred, sowing discord and breaking trust. The United States is not innocent of enacting poor foreign policies, as you aptly point out, but the attacks by Al Qaeda are directed at everyone, not specifically at the "nicaragüense villager".
Stopping attacks by groups like Al Qaeda is going to require a substantial amount of international co-operation that has to cross all lines to be truly effective. |
