Razing Falluja

The US met with the clerical leadership in Fallujah (the first official acceptance of their civic leadership), offering many millions of dollars in reconstruction money to repair the infrastructure that had been virtually demolished in the April attacks - on the condition that (1) the guerrillas were disowned and disarmed, (2) the US was allowed to mount patrols within the city, and (3) the clerics pledged loyalty to the central government. There were no negotiations to speak of, because the clerics rejected all three conditions.

Immediately after the collapse of the non-negotiations, the US initiated almost daily bombing of various neighborhoods in Fallujah. The cover story has been that they are bombing "safe houses" used by terrorists associated with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and that no other people are present during the attacks. But hospitals report daily that the vast majority of the casualties are civilians. It is clear to everyone but the US public that the attacks are designed to persuade the people of Fallujah to abandon their support of the rebellion. To add a further element of threat to the equation, the US has repeatedly announced that it would soon reinvade the city, and during the second week of September even announced on loudspeakers that the residents of certain areas should evacuate because of a pending attack. This was a bluff. US military officials admitted to American reporters that they are waiting until after the November elections in the United States.

And I have no doubt that the Iraqis are on to that game. It's the silly Americans who are clueless.

This Asia Times article is a very interesting read, as it includes a report on the U.S. strategy and success (or not) in dealing with major insurgency cities in Iraq. Check it out. Its conclusion:

Fallujah and Sadr City are both more typical than Samarra and less promising for the Americans. The initial effort to identify and work with some local leaders has failed, leading the Americans to terror tactics against the local population. These have not worked in the past in either location, and there is no sign of this latest iteration working. It seems apparent that the Americans will wait until after the US elections to activate a more aggressive and more destructive second phase, aimed at terrorizing the population into submission.

Perhaps the greatest success of the new strategy thus far is a negative one. The havoc and destruction wreaked by the terror bombing and invasion of Tal Afar generated a strong reaction from Turkey, a ripple of outrage in Iraq and the Middle East, and no protest at all in Europe or the United States. The less severe, but still brutal, attacks in Sadr City and Fallujah have generated almost no complaints or declarations of solidarity. This is a stark contrast to the April battle in Fallujah, which generated worldwide denunciations, and the siege of Najaf, which threatened to mobilize the international Shi'ite community.

What the US may have gained, therefore, is the apathy of the world to escalating violence against Iraqi civilians. This, more than the success or failure of these individual campaigns, may lay a foundation for the massive offensives that the US military appears to be preparing for in the period just after the US elections in November. The world is fully aware of the ability of the US Air Force to level even a very large city, using 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs delivered in great numbers by carrier-based aircraft. The calibrated increases in the destructiveness of US air attacks over the past few months appears to have numbed local and international outrage, a condition that allows for further escalation and many more casualties.

...[E]ven the most ferocious Iraqi resistance may not be sufficient to deter the coming November offensive. The Iraqis need and deserve the support of the international community; the best (and least destructive) deterrent against this impending onslaught would be the threat of uncontrollable worldwide protest should the US attempt to level either Fallujah or Sadr City.

Proud to be an American.