The War? The Conflict? The Occupation? The Rebuilding?

What are we supposed to call it these days?

I've deliberately steered clear of commenting on the Iraq war on this blog.

I promised myself.

I have a brother in the forces for godsakes, I feel uncomfortable debating the merits, or lack thereof, of theatre in which he will likely be called to serve in again. Soon.

But this time, I can't bite my tounge. I'm just writing what's in my mind, right now, whatever the flow.

Watching the evening news, as I dutifully do, I was shocked to hear reports of further allegations of civilian deaths at aparently at the hands of coalition troops.

Thing is - I tend to be a bloody optimist.

"Yes, interesting choice of words" I here you say.

But hear me out.

I take an awful lot of flack sometimes for being an optimist in some situations, but stupid and downright blinded that I may sometimes be, I dare to hope for the best in humanity. That for every Hitler there's a Ghandi; for every Mugabe, a Mandela.

But with regard to Iraq, every time I literally think it can't get any worse over there, it does. Optimisim was sadly taken hostage a long while back.

Abu Ghraib...

Then Haditha.

Today; a pregnant woman in labour was shot at a roadblock because her panicking husband drove too quickly into the wrong lane at a checkpoint.

Why do some elements on both sides of this war seem intent on tearing Iraq apart; brutalising and humiliating it's people?

Insurgents know they can't fight the American military machine mano et mano, so the resort to the supremely cowardly tactic of roadside bombs. They blow up mosques in the sick hope that Iraqi's will turn on each other, and attack the very institutions that aim to rebuild the country.

Meanwhile, young shell-shocked coalition troops, stunned by the deaths of their colleagues, hail bullets in a fit of rage catching families (allegedly, deliberately) in the crossfire. Generals cannot understand why Iraqi's aren't pacified when tanks rumble past their children on a daily basis.

Whatever the views on the Iraq war, all sides simply have to make Iraq work now or else we all loose.

Those who think our troops should come home tomorrow should ponder what state Iraq would be in the following day. Civil War? Islamic fundamentalist revolution?

However, those who favour the continued occupation / nation-building (call it what you will), must also accept that the coalition cannot do it alone. Foremost they need the Iraqi's themselves, and secondly they need to understand them. This means not only giving ethical training to troops, but engaging closer with the Iraqi community. Showing trust, not eternal suspicion whenever oportunities present themselves, whatever the risks.

There's several metaphorical wars raging in Iraq right now.

We cannot loose the battle for hearts and minds.

An interesting point was raised at the end of the television report. It went something like this:

"The war with which Iraq is most likened is that in Vietnam, but there is a crucial difference. Towards the end of that conflict the American public supported neither the war, nor the troops fighting it. Crucially, there is not the same parallel in Iraq. Support for the war is at an all time low, but support for the troops serving in Iraq remains solid. However, should inquires report unlawful killings in Haditha, and now Ishaqi, public opinion may turn yet against them. What then?"