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by US forces should be investigated by persons outside of the chain of command. Given America's historical legacy of being accused of killing many, many thousands of civilians in Vietnam and the fact that hundreds of thousands of civilians have died during the Iraq War, this is an important topic. It is a subject that requires careful and considered review to avoid it continuing to be a problem, wherever U.S. troops fight. Lack of attention to local public opinion dooms American success over the long haul.

Thus, there should be a shift in the role of American forces overseas, from that of combatants
to that of facilitators. If trained locals get trigger happy and make mistakes, it will not generally reflect back on America. However, if the civilian-killing trigger-men are Americans, locals long remember that and distrust us. Thus, in highly sensitive areas, like Somalia, a very high level of training and careful discretion is required. Americans stand out as looking and sounding differently, so just one "Yahoo" can have disastrous impacts, permanently spoiling the reputation of Americans among locals.

If American forces make extraordinary efforts to avoid civilian casualties, that will also be noticed by the local population. When Americans are respectful and careful to avoid unnecessarily getting into difficult situations, where civilians might get hurt, then problems are minimized. Following up on civilians accidentally harmed or killed by American troops is critical for American troops to maintain self-respect and trust among civilians. Although that is already official US military policy, there are obvious conflicts of interest, when those who investigate are somehow affiliated with those who killed the civilians. Somehow, greater independence of investigations must be created in order for them to be more credible.

Perhaps, all civilian deaths should be investigated by representatives of the International Court of Justice or the UN Security Council. Of course, that proposal is controversial, but so is the premise that America (or other countries) have the right to intervene unilaterally in the affairs of foreign countries, without sanction of any international organizations. Perhaps, if Americans knew that we would be held accountable for violent actions overseas where we have not been attacked, we would be less likely to create new wars and intervene in places like in Iraq and Somalia. Some form of balance is required to counteract the American neo-con adventurism that results in civilian deaths, as a result of unilateral American action, such as in the so-called "War on Terrorism".

The alternative to international oversight of unilateral military intervention is to create some type of international organization to keep the peace. Although the United Nations may have been intended to perform that function, it has not realized its full potential. The result is that Americans are now feared and hated by many peoples, due to the perception that too often the US acts like a renegade global policeman who shoots first and asks questions later. It is high time for America to rethink the underpinnings of the current neo-con American policies that have fomented war and violence all too often. American leaders must stop acting as though we are not subject to international law. Otherwise, there will eventually be horrific paybacks and Americans will wonder why we are targeted from various directions. "Accidental" killings of civilians by US forces must end!

Learn more about this author, Robert C. Sage.
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