The essay by British Army Brigadier Nigel Aylwin-Foster, who served with U.S. forces in Iraq from December 2003 to November 2004, appeared in the latest edition of the magazine Military Review, published by the U.S. Army.
Aylwin-Foster said U.S. Army personnel struggled to grasp the nuances of battling insurgents while also winning the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis.
"Moreover, whilst they were almost unfailingly courteous and considerate, at times their cultural insensitivity, almost certainly inadvertent, arguably amounted to institutional racism," Aylwin-Foster wrote, arguing that the Army exacerbated the task it now faces by alienating significant parts of the Iraqi population.
Aylwin-Foster, whose rank equates to a one-star U.S. general, referred to U.S. Army officers' "damaging optimism" that seemed out of touch with a more sobering reality.
"Self-belief and resilient optimism are recognized necessities for successful command, and all professional forces strive for a strong can-do ethos. However, it is unhelpful if it discourages junior commanders from reporting unwelcome news up the chain of command," he wrote.
"Force commanders and political masters need to know the true state of affairs if they are to reach timely decisions to change plans: arguably, they did not always do so," he added.
Aylwin-Foster faulted "moral righteousness" felt by U.S. personnel that "encouraged the erroneous assumption that given the justness of the cause, actions that occurred in its name would be understood and accepted by the population, even if mistakes and civilian fatalities occurred in the implementation."
So to sum up what our British friend is trying to point out is that our unecessary war in Iraq was further fucked up by our arrogant racist attitudes. Is that about right?
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