by Robert C. Sage

Created on: September 07, 2007

Of course, America should pay for the damage it inflicts on other countries. Although America often has ended up giving economic assistance to countries where we have fought, if it were automatic, the neo-cons amongst us might not be quite so eager to undertake pre-emptive strikes. Warring on another country is serious business and if America can attack at will, without having to be financially responsible for the damage caused, there is no check on neo-con intervention. Going to battle in foreign lands should be much more difficult than it has been. There needs to be some balance to the war mongering from Washington, D.C. and a requirement to pay war reparations would be a good place to start.

America should use its satellite eyes to mark and follow up on real bombing damage, inadvertent artillery collateral damage and intensive combat war zones in order to ensure that all who should be compensated are in fact. Particularly, when reconstruction after a war involves more fighting and killing and sabotage potentially appears around every corner, it is important to record and document collateral damage. Without that designation, America does not compensate for damage incurred.

In a country America has been occupying for over five years, different areas of Iraq are conquered and released into "no man's land". It is a unique strategy akin to fishing by capture and release. It is a policy for endless war, because the land is not held. It is taken and let loose again. It is no wonder there are insurgent safe houses available throughout Iraq. Most of Iraq is liberated from American control soon after it is secured.

US military officers now acknowledge that methods learned from Vietnam had been forgotten and had to be relearned again. That is an amazing criticism and it is made up through the general level. How could insurgency and guerrilla warfare knowledge be lost so quickly? Colin Powell was in Vietnam, so presumably were the other high level generals! Even those who weren't have got to have awareness and knowledge that fighting insurgencies is different from fighting conventional armies. Ironically, originally the US military was the insurgency and guerrillas against the British "redcoats".

Unless America bribes foreign nationals to forgive our heavy handed treatment and priority to warfare, instead of economic development, we are destined to make many enemies. Nobody likes people who destroy the property of another. If an Iraqi sustains damage from the invasion and mop up operations and he is not compensated, he certainly would be angry with America. You don't win wars by making locals angry.

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