<Human rights report rips U.S. record.

HRW denounces Washington’s conduct in war on terrorism

“Washington’s tendency to ignore human rights in fighting terrorism is not only disturbing in its own right,” the report said. “It is dangerously counterproductive. The smoldering resentment it breeds risks generating terrorist recruits, puts off potential anti-terrorism allies and weakens efforts to curb terrorist atrocities.”

Forget decency, forget fighting terrorism with terrorism. Think “effective”.

It would seem to me that in a “war” where one isn’t occupying land indefinitely, one needs the friendship of the occupants of that land in order to obtain the information needed to combat the problem.

And the way the US is going about it is guaranteed to piss off many if not most of the people whose support is necessary if the US is to be effective.

For instance, if there weren’t the “bull in a china shop” attitude, the “shoot first and find out later if they were hostile” rules of engagement, we might know what happened to OBL. As it is the occupants of the countryside have chosen to protect either him or his memory.

Sad. It could be done much more effectively, using snipers instead of shotguns, and I think that 99.5% of the whole wide world would be allies.

As it is, if a country like the US can't control the bodies, the hearts and minds don't follow. And it could be different. The Patty Murry approach, AND snipers. Instead of trying to use a conventional military against a will-'o'-the-wisp.

And along the way respecting bystanders.

Arf