From: Adam Flinton 

Frank Haber wrote:
>>It's not a matter of fleetness of foot but of approachability of demeanour.
>
>
> Dream on.  In addition to the tiny problem of an unquenchable supply of
> suicide bombers, there's the average grunt.  He's not known for his
> cosmopolitanism.
>

It's not the cosmopolitanism, it's the pretending to be a Cyberdyne Systems T-800.

There seems an inability to de-escalate by being nice coz all the local
opposition need to do is commit a couple of nasties on the US troops et
voila job done coz now everyone is a semi-dehumanized possible enemy &
de-humanizing is always the first step towards more nastiness & so the
cycle continues.

i.e. the UK troops went all soft e.g. soft hats & soft vehicles even in
the teeth of some nastiness whereas at the first hint of trouble some sort
of US mil "health & safety" takes over & everyone climbs
into armour & shoots at anything which looks even vaguely suspicious.

i.e. it seems you never stopped fighting a war where in theory once
liberation was done then you're not in a war posture no more.

It's a harsh judgement call as sacrificing a few at the start by going soft
but by doing so saving many is always tough. i.e. harsh measures always
look great from a distance (inc keeping mil types in full World War 3
battle gear) but isolate the mil types from the general populace & lead
to more being killed as that isolation felt by both sides, grows.

The problem now is that the longer an occupation force is in theatre the
better known it becomes by the local opposition. i.e. At first the enemy is
new & has new weapons & tactics etc. Over time people work out when
troops are rotated, when sentries are swapped etc.

Before that time you really need to have started to isolate the opposition
from the general populace rather have them isolate you (which is what's
happening).

E.g. is a hummer parked between you & where you are going, a threat or
a sign of safety?

Not just from the troops btw but from the fact that the hummer is a target
for an explosive device & you might be caught in the blast.

If so then (if you care for your kids etc) you will want that vehicle
shifted from your neighborhood as it poses a risk to you & those you
hold dear.

How should I put this......

In the UK mil sunglasses when dealing with locals ist verboten because it
distances you from them & is threatening.

In the US mil it seems like they're std issue.

I know it's a small point by itself but compounded it gives an impression.
I have a feeling that this has been raised repeatedly with the US bods in
charge but.....no ban on sunglasses yet.

to put it another way....

You can't capture hearts & minds with machine guns & attack helicopters

or...

A smile (with eye contact) can be more powerfull than a Bradley.

Adam

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