They’re Starving - Let’s bomb them!
This particular news item really caught my eye today. Somalia is not exactly a rich place. In fact, I’d even say it’s desperately poor. There is mass starvation, and most of the country is ruled by warlords. Of course, it’s also, at least according to some, a hotbed of terrorism. Of course it is. If you’re starving, have absolutely no hope, and someone offers you food and possibly money, chances are you’d take it.
The reason Somalia is an absolute mess is that western aid to it has been halting at best. It is a country where Western involvement might actually do some good. And of course, our best method for helping them is by throwing missiles at them. We’re not even sure if they hit who they were supposed to hit.
By using these tactics - by using an extraordinary amount of force against a foe who is surrounded by civilians without thought of who else might die - we have irrevocably branded ourselves as terrorists. We use tactics which are even called “shock and awe” - the precise mechanisms terrorists use to achieve their goals. A more positive route would be to offer to rebuild their economy and their country. Not only would we be ensuring their continued survival and garnering international respect, but we would also be creating a potential future market.
But of course, this would go starkly against the ‘overwhelming might’ strategy that the US has been pursuing under Bush. This would be completely counter to the ‘be damned with the consequences’ policy they are putting in place. One can only hope it will be at least a little bit better under the new rulers…
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Loading ...
Love the article Coeus — and thanks!