I’m amazed that this is a tactic that can win the hearts and minds of Iraqis.
That’s a shame. From my perspective I feel a sense of frustration when I read things like that article.
People don’t think like that. When a city is overrun with crime, people don’t get enraged at the general population, or really the criminals hiding there - they get enraged at the people who are tasked with protecting them and either don’t care or are incapable of doing it. Probably the same with Iraq.
Then throw in the fact that we’d royally pissed them off before the bombings started by firing half the country, selling off assets which directly threw people out of work, total culture insensitivity, torture - what did you expect?
As mentioned here, 45% of the country apparently supports attacks on US troops. http://www.quartertothree.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20152