When you fight an insurgency with cruel force, especially with disregard for civilian casualties, all you do is further the circumstances that led to the insurgency in the first place. These groups are recruiting for a fight against a foreign army. If said army just brutally killed your innocent brothers and sisters, you are a hell of a lot more likely to get radicalized and join. It’s certainly no recipe for post-conflict stability.
This is what is so absurd about Israel’s war right now, and it was absurd about the US’ war too. And I disagree that the US would’ve “won” if it was “ok with more splash damage”.
Expose it, mock it, surgical strike which definitely can be possible. And sometimes, when the opposing force isn’t a threat to anyone but the human shields, yet the human shields support the opposing force, then you can just maybe give them that autonomy sometimes.
Unfortunately there are few cases where the group in question isn’t a threat. By your plan, the US should allow regions to secede if that is their wish. They won’t be a threat except to their own residents, who have shown their support by electing the officials seeking secession.
When you fight an insurgency with cruel force, especially with disregard for civilian casualties, all you do is further the circumstances that led to the insurgency in the first place. These groups are recruiting for a fight against a foreign army. If said army just brutally killed your innocent brothers and sisters, you are a hell of a lot more likely to get radicalized and join. It’s certainly no recipe for post-conflict stability.
This is what is so absurd about Israel’s war right now, and it was absurd about the US’ war too. And I disagree that the US would’ve “won” if it was “ok with more splash damage”.
What is your solution then? How do you deal with an opposing force that uses human shields?
Expose it, mock it, surgical strike which definitely can be possible. And sometimes, when the opposing force isn’t a threat to anyone but the human shields, yet the human shields support the opposing force, then you can just maybe give them that autonomy sometimes.
Unfortunately there are few cases where the group in question isn’t a threat. By your plan, the US should allow regions to secede if that is their wish. They won’t be a threat except to their own residents, who have shown their support by electing the officials seeking secession.