Re: Nobody least of all me is saying that in this war the US is deliberately targeting civilians,....
Actually, the US military is aping the Israeli behavior in the occupied territories... Just as the IDF claims to target only "terrorists" and the ringleaders of Hamas, Jihad, etc., the US claims to target only Iraqi officials and Saddam's entourage. Israeli F-16s drop one-ton bombs to waste a single "terrorist"... together with his wife, children, pet, and neighbors! Then an Israeli spokesperson issues a "sorry" statement of unwanted collateral damages... Likewise, the US bombers are gonna flatten Baghdad and other cities, aiming at Iraqi leaders only... Somehow, the whole Iraqi campaign mirrors the face-off between Sharon and Arafat of last year. Despite Sharon's overwhelming military, (geo-)political power proved superior to sheer force and Ramallah didn't surrender. The French too learned that bitter lesson back in 1960-61 when General Maurice Challe successfully thwarted the FLN guerilla in the Algerian maquis --no matter how many battles French Generals won on the ground, the war itself was ultimately to be waged --and lost-- on the diplomatic scene.
Gus |
