I alluded to the real problem in my earlier post. The vast majority simply do not care. I do not understand the reasons for this. We have watched people come out of their houses and simply watch as insurgents have planted IEDs in thier front yards. When confronted about it they look at you like you have dick on your forehead for suggesting they do something, anything, to prevent the destruction of their house, family, livelihood, etc. Until they start to take an interest in their own welfare I have a lot of trouble seeing why I should. Yet there we are, marching toward the sound of the guns every day, and passing all of the Iraqi security forces running away from it. Hobbes had it right, and nowhere moreso than in rural Iraq. Here kids run out in front of 8 wheeled HEMTT transports to jocky for position to beg for candy from GIs. Occasionaly one gets killed or maimed for their efforts, and the parents show up with a gleem in their eye to collect the reparation money. Children are a dime a dozen, but 1000 US dollars will feed a family for a year. Heartless? Perhaps, but thats easy to say from the American perspective.
Equally puzzleing is the insurgency itself. What is its focus, what is its goal? I'm not sure they even know anymore. To be sure, the seemingly random violence is counter-productive. As long as violence is waged for the stated pupose of driving the infidels (us) out, we will continue to stay and fight it. Of course this suits the insurgents just fine, to the leadership the goal is not to drive us out, but to maintain that which gives them power, namely the continued fight against the US. The Iraqi Security Forces (henceforth ISF) also don't seem to mind, since we will continue to stay and do their job as long as the insurgency bears its teeth.
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
What confounds me is the violence waged against random civilian targets. Attacks against US forces are no suprise, we expect them and can deal them, but the upswing in bombings against the population is disturbing. There is no rhyme or reason to most of the bombings, it is simply devolving into nihilistic violence for violence's sake. Who knows.
Once again I am growing long-winded, just thinking out loud really. If anyone can shed some light on the Arab mindset, I would love to hear it.