Listen / Read
Peter Hearty made note of the fact McTernan seemed a little bit dismissive of the opinions of the senior military officers he met who all held negative views on Islamic culture. It does seem perhaps that while he says there’s a need for a more nuanced approach to the Muslim world, his appreciation of military operations is less than nuanced itself. While a gamut of criticism can be levelled at US military strategy and conduct in Iraq, his utilisation of the phrase ‘drive by’ is hardly subtle either.
I’ve no reason to defend the American occupation of Iraq, and I do think it’s just that. I’m a full-on Chomskyite when it comes to US ‘imperial terrorism’. But when you occupy a country, the natives probably aren’t going to like you for it, even if you do claim to have the best of intentions. This clip in Adam Curtis’ documentary The Trap comes to mind, when a US solider says to a clambering crowd of Iraqis: “We’re here for your fucking freedom, so back up right now!”
When residents of the country you’re liberating by occupation don’t like you for it, you’re probably not going to like how they express their dislike either. Combine that with the fact that US military strategy has, on the whole, been an utter abortion and what you’re going to end up with is blood and hatred. Add religion to the mix and it’s like sticking a great chunk of humanity in a blender and forgetting to put the lid on. It’s going to take a while to scrub the stains off the walls.
There have however been constructive efforts on part of the Americans to forge working alliances at community level, embedding specially trained officers in communities throughout the country while simultaneously training Iraqis with the skills needed to rebuild and maintain infrastructure. Unfortunately such initiatives are limited in scope and resources and largely came after General Petraeus took over in Summer 2007, by which time the damage was already done. Hearts, minds and lives had already been lost. Is it too cynical to suggest that none of that really mattered to the White House as long as American corporations got their immense contracts and access to oil reserves? Or is it just too true?
I suppose what I’d like to know is what Oliver McTernan’s opinion would be had he served in Iraq, had he been given the same mandate, the same training, the same resources and the same mission objectives. Just because their impression of Islamic culture is negative doesn’t mean that their opinions are invalid. They just have to be seen in context. How can you be shocked that a ‘clash of civilisations’ perspective is held by individuals who have literally fought on the front lines of such a clash?
And another thing Oliver McTernan: if you’re interested in making the world a better place “for people of all beliefs and none”, how about you start with the seat in which you sit when you read your Thoughts for the Day? How about telling the BBC that the slot on which you speak should be made available “for people of all beliefs and none”?
Or you could just carry on being a hypocrite.