Friday, October 13, 2006
End Game
A few days ago the media was full of reports that around 600,000 Iraqis have died as a consequence of the war. As I'm sure you'll have seen, that's about 2.5% of the population. Most of the dead are (were) young men - a generation of Iraqi males, then, has been pulverised, shot up, incinerated and ripped apart.
Today, the headlines consists of reports that the head of the British Army thinks that British forces should be withdrawn from Iraq, and news that a coroner has concluded that an ITN reporter was murdered by US forces. Terry Lloyd, his interpreter and his cameraman were executed, it seems, for the crime of refusing to take their places as tame journalists, 'embedded' within the Coalition propaganda machine.
It is impossible to ignore the sense that the flood barriers have been breached. It's the end of the road. There's no where left to go, now, for the makers of this appalling conflict - or, indeed, its supporters.
Today, the headlines consists of reports that the head of the British Army thinks that British forces should be withdrawn from Iraq, and news that a coroner has concluded that an ITN reporter was murdered by US forces. Terry Lloyd, his interpreter and his cameraman were executed, it seems, for the crime of refusing to take their places as tame journalists, 'embedded' within the Coalition propaganda machine.
It is impossible to ignore the sense that the flood barriers have been breached. It's the end of the road. There's no where left to go, now, for the makers of this appalling conflict - or, indeed, its supporters.
