American troops insensitivity toward Iraqis creates friction.

“WHY can’t we live together in peace?”, read the graffiti written on a wall in Fallujah by a weary American soldier. Next to it a colleague had scrawled: “Die ragheads die!”

I think that the above example is a striking example of the ambiguity that the American troops live with every day. These soldiers are trained to wage war. They go in and attack the Iraqis. Then after the battle is finished they are asked to care for the Iraqis. This creates a sort of psychotic break for these soldiers who find it very difficult to turn off the warrior part of their brain and turn on the caregiver part of their psyche. Now add to this the fact that some Iraqis still present a danger to the troops and you have a recipe for disaster.

I do not blame these young soldiers entirely for their insensitivity toward the indigenous people of Iraq. They are mostly young and their emotional growth is still in its infancy. I blame the commanders and the war planners. They are honor bound to teach these young men and women how to soften their approach toward the non-combatants and to weed out the individuals who demonstrate racial insensitivity.

The longer we stay there the worse this problem is becoming. Now we can add the growing frustration of the American troops to the hopelessness of the Iraqi people and you can see that an increase in the number of violent conflicts is a certainty.

I don't think for an instant that we are going to be able to win this country over as long as we have troops on the ground there. Especially if those troops are still kicking in doors and shooting unarmed civilians. It is just not going to happen.