Collateral Damage, Again

So, the Iraqi military cut off the water for the population of Basra, is shooting civilians who try to flee and Iraqi soldiers who want to surrender, is hiding behind women and children to shoot, is using false surrender to attack Americans, and yesterday rammed a bus into a tank in a suicide strike. There are tanks inside hospital compounds and command facilities in residential neighborhoods. Oil wells have been set on fire causing ecological damage and burning up resources that the Iraqi people will need to build a new future.

So, the Iraqi military cut off the water for the population of Basra, is shooting civilians who try to flee and Iraqi soldiers who want to surrender, is hiding behind women and children to shoot, is using false surrender to attack Americans, and yesterday rammed a bus into a tank in a suicide strike. There are tanks inside hospital compounds and command facilities in residential neighborhoods. Oil wells have been set on fire causing ecological damage and burning up resources that the Iraqi people will need to build a new future. The Iraqi navy (such as it is) mined the port through which humanitarian aid has to pass in the south, delaying the supply of food and medicine.

The American military admits it is surprised by the “dirty fighting” of Iraqi forces. We are not, but we are surprised that they are surprised. There is nothing new about the standards of battle of dictatorial forces – particularly in Iraq, where brutality has been the norm both inside the country and in attacks of its neighbors. We wrote last July:

Both the U.S. military and the IDF regard civilian casualties as “collateral.” The bad guys regard them as “the point.” We wouldn’t be us if dead civilians didn’t discomfit us, even as we recognize the nature of the cowards who use civilians as shields.

The best way to protect civilians is for aggressive regimes to stop being aggressive – the Palestinians have only to stop launching attacks on buses and restaurants in Israel and no doubt there would be no Israeli attacks in Gaza to risk “collateral damage.” Saddam has only to give up his megalomaniacal plans for missiles and WMD, and no doubt the U.S. would be relieved to shelve its war plans. But since neither is likely, it appears that both the U.S. and Israel will be fighting enemies who have little concern for the lives of their own people. Therefore, the second best way to protect civilians is to remove the dictators and terrorists who hide behind them while they make war on other people.

Would the U.S. take out Saddam’s WMD facilities, or his bunker, or him if we knew that he planted women and children around them? What if he publishes photographs of the children? Will we go for the greater good and have heartburn afterward – like Israel does? What if The New York Times carries front-page stories about the mourning parents? How will we justify ourselves if Israel isn’t allowed to justify itself?

It would be useful for the U.S. to remember that there is little we will see of an Arab dictator’s callousness toward his own people that Israel hasn’t already seen; little our military will face in urban warfare that Israel hasn’t already faced; few mistakes that we will make that Israel hasn’t also made. Will we be deterred? We hope not.

Thus far, we are not deterred and we are learning what Israel has painfully learned. DoD Assistant Secretary Victoria Clarke said in a briefing, “Any death that occurs (in this context) is the direct result of Saddam Hussein.” The American military says it will adapt to the nasty circumstances while maintaining its policy of working to minimize the loss of civilian life. In this way, as in other ways, we are proud of the standards upheld by our servicemen and women.