Think for yourself
Well into the second Persian Gulf War it is again evident that the first casualty of war is truth. As in all wars the battle for the hearts and minds of those on the sidelines and the moral justification that comes with the victory over those hearts and minds is often just as important as those victories on the battlefield. We live in the "information age" where we are a population of potential opinion pollees, have access to a wealth of information and can follow the war minute by minute. The average consumer in the US and Europe can get war updates from numerous 24-hour news networks, the Internet, old media like radio and newspapers or even have headlines beamed to cellphones.
Controlling the truth has never been so important in war. With the flood of information we receive it is often a labored task to sift through bombardment of information. Our senses can seem to be in constant "shock and awe" as we attempt to ascertain truth among the catch phrases like "overwhelming force," "guerrilla tactics," "coalition forces," "jepordizing civilians," "invading forces," "terrorists" and "no blood for oil." Fortunately, however logic, can prevail.
As a citizen of the global sample group, it is your duty to be informed and critical. All citizens should attempt to keep a critical eye on all information they receive whether it be from the "coalition of the willing" or from Iraq, the left or the right. As a citizen, your opinion does matter. Your opinion, of course, helps form the polls which governments closely watch in forming policy and undertaking action.
Just prior to the war American officials reported that some elite Iraqi troops had been given uniforms identical to those of American and British forces. Upon first reading this you are led to ask, "Why would the Iraqis do this?" and the answer is given to us. The report goes on to say that while wearing these uniforms Iraqi forces would commit atrocities against the civilian Iraqi population in an attempt to sway public opinion against the American-led invasion. US officials reported that "intelligence sources" had brought this to their attention.
Clearly if this were to take place it would be a clear violation of the rules of engagement and an unspeakable crime. One would think it quite conceivable that such a militarily overmatched tyrannical regime would certainly employ such tactics in a desperate attempt to manipulate European and US opinions. However, being a critical global citizen, you know that there are two sides to every story.
As a reader/viewer/listener/opinion pollee you are an opinion maker and must rely on your own intelligence sources to form an opinion. Your best intelligence source is your own brain and not those of others. Consulting your "intelligence source" you ask yourself, "Would the Americans have any reason to lie about this or must I accept this at face value?"
In conclusion, you surmise that, aside from truth, the other great casualty in the fog of war are civilians. "Non-combatants," as they are being called, will no doubt be injured by both sides in a conflict. Since high levels of civilian casualties caused by either side usually bring corresponding changes in public opinion against the side at fault you realize that it is equally likely that this report is an American attempt to manipulate public opinion. It could be a case of preparatory spin. It is possible this report was fabricated to ensure that civilian casualties caused by American forces are insulated by this story. Future civilian casualties could have blame placed on these alleged Iraqis dressed as Americans thereby deflecting potential outrage and pressure from global citizens should such an incident take place. Logically this is an equally plausible possibility yet, sadly, I would venture as far as to say that many people would not agree. In the end, as always, we are left with only one truth. Truth can only be ascertained by our own "intelligence sources."
It is our job as global citizens to be critical, aware and always seek the truth, especially in a blinding fog of war. With more information comes more responsibility for understanding the information we receive. Leaving the confirmation of truth to sources that one side deems to be intelligent can never be the intelligent thing to do. We must understand that political spin manipulates people to perpetrate horrible crimes but it also precipitates all sorts of manipulation of truth. It is a citizen's job to attempt to become a beacon of truth in a sea of madness. More importantly we also must remember that while it may be that "the first casualty of war is truth" the subsequent casualties are very real and very bloody and it is incumbent upon our collective intelligence to prevent those casualties from happening.
David May
Tainan
Please don't print lies
Concerning the incident in which US troops killed 7 in a van of 13 women and children in Iraq, it is made clear in the international press on Wednesday (see Guardian Web site article "`You just killed a family because you didn't fire a warning shot'") that no warning shots were fired by troops and therefore suggestions on the part of the US military that the vehicle failed to stop are moot -- no such request was ever made.
In light of this it would be appropriate for your newspaper to stop referring to the incident as an "accident" or describing the event as detailed by official US military sources, which have so far proved highly unreliable and have a history of dissembling to the press. I would like to see a retraction or clarification but won't be holding my breath.
At present the reporting of the European and US press has shown extreme cultural bias. At the very least you should have added the proviso "the vehicle allegedly did not stop" but for some strange reason, it is assumed that the US military version must be true because our boys would never do anything nasty (read: criminal) like that. In contrast obvious bombings by US and UK planes of civilian areas are always "alleged" and we are sold the lie that it could have been Iraqi artillery that caused the deaths. The US has just as much reason to lie about the actions of its troops as does Iraq. Some of us are not interested in reading the sort of "patriotic news" peddled in the US. If you cannot report events objectively then why report them at all?
Andrew Wilson
Taipei
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