the following consists of some tactical suggestions for engaging with the population in iraq from an active duty soldier currently stationed in iraq who prefers to remain anonymous:
one thing i would do is start taking an honest accounting of collateral damage. moral considerations aside, refusing to count civilian casualties is blinding us to a serious grievance on the part of the iraqi people. the insurgency is able to exploit this grievance. in addition, without counting civilian casualties we have little incentive to move toward tactics and technologies that can reduce collateral damage. an increased emphasis on sub-lethal technologies might yield good results. for example, instead of using explosives against an insurgent strong point, perhaps we could use concussion rounds and riot...
