2008 Woodie Awards
America must seek to heal innocent civilians caught in cross-fire
In Our Opinion
Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: Forum
With the advent of modernity, wars moved from the countryside and into cities and civilians became industrial workers instead of agrarian laborers. Advancing technological trends make war a more efficient convention, sometimes preventing unneeded civilian deaths in populated urban environments with increased accuracy capabilities, other times making civilian deaths more common with increased weapon force. With the shift of the war in Iraq from pitched battles with Saddam Hussein's army to the struggle against al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives and Sunni and Shia militias in the densely packed cities, civilians came to be at a much greater risk for injury and death.
Sadly but predictably, American bombing and the chaos American forces have unleashed has resulted in massive numbers of civilian casualties. In an effort to remedy this situation, a $40 million program overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development was established to perform necessary medical operations on innocent Iraqis injured by American forces.
The program has nothing to do with the U.S. military and is separate from a Pentagon-run program that only financially compensates the victims of such violence in Iraq. It is only fair and sensible that America should pay for such operations, at the very least, as we are totally responsible for this foundationless and poorly executed war.
Not only is this effort by USAID and ones like it morally necessitated, but they are also rather expedient to the goal of stabilizing Iraq and stemming long-standing anti-American sentiment there. "Winning over the hearts and minds" of the Iraqi people will serve to decrease violence in the region toward our troops and undermine the widespread support for querillas in Iraq. Although these medical operations are only being performed by virtue of our hurting innocent civilians, such medical care is the necessary first step in healing our tattered moral standing and image around the world.
Sadly but predictably, American bombing and the chaos American forces have unleashed has resulted in massive numbers of civilian casualties. In an effort to remedy this situation, a $40 million program overseen by the U.S. Agency for International Development was established to perform necessary medical operations on innocent Iraqis injured by American forces.
The program has nothing to do with the U.S. military and is separate from a Pentagon-run program that only financially compensates the victims of such violence in Iraq. It is only fair and sensible that America should pay for such operations, at the very least, as we are totally responsible for this foundationless and poorly executed war.
Not only is this effort by USAID and ones like it morally necessitated, but they are also rather expedient to the goal of stabilizing Iraq and stemming long-standing anti-American sentiment there. "Winning over the hearts and minds" of the Iraqi people will serve to decrease violence in the region toward our troops and undermine the widespread support for querillas in Iraq. Although these medical operations are only being performed by virtue of our hurting innocent civilians, such medical care is the necessary first step in healing our tattered moral standing and image around the world.
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