Two Articles on the Iraq War

Today's Los Angeles Times has two articles that shed important light on the situation our soldiers are facing in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Deadly Mistake Typifies Shaky Line U.S. Walks is a detailed look at an incident in which two Marines shot a civilian vehicle, killing three non-combatants.

The other is a column by military analyst William Arkin, focusing on the importance of good intelligence:

American armed forces have now been at the so-called war on terrorism for two full years. The White House, defending the increasingly controversial military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, released a progress report Sept. 10 declaring that the United States "has dismantled the repressive Taliban, denied [Al Qaeda] a safe haven in Afghanistan, and defeated Saddam Hussein's regime."

Dismantled, denied and defeated. Those are strong, even definitive, words. Yet the American military remains as fully engaged as ever in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Congress is being asked to add $87 billion to the Pentagon budget to continue the fight. ...

[I]t may surprise some to learn that a man like [Maj. Gen. Victory] Renuart [Jr.] sees victory in the war on terrorism hinging on something other than the military: He sees the key as providing education and economic development to countries where the seeds of terrorism grow.

"This is not just a military problem," he says. Terrorists "find a home in ungoverned spaces" and in countries "that are sorely lacking for jobs and a future for their people." The U.S., he says, must "invest in the world."

"If you can't get the angry young men off the streets," Renuart believes, "you are going to have to fight them."

Even with the wisest of policies and the best of luck - neither of which we're having at the moment - US troops are likely to be involved in Iraq and Afghanistan for quite a while yet. The more the public understands about what's going on, the better.

Tags: iraq war, william arkin