Thursday, June 14, 2007

Nobunaga, 3 strikes and why the Iraq war so deadly now?

A speculation as to why the Iraq war has become so deadly:

A Japanese TV drama(dorama) told the story of how Nobunaga, the brilliant, ruthless leader who broke down the Japanese code of chivalry which had prevented anyone from uniting Japan operated. A nobleman received the honorary title "jar breaker" for single handedly running into the courtyard of a castle under siege and breaking the water jar holding the only precious water for the castle. When his story was presented to Nobunaga, he was unimpressed, and humiliated the nobleman by asking the low born but fierce warrior Hideyoshi why breaking the water jar was a mistake. "The castle's eventual fall was assured . Breaking the water jar merely made the defenders fight with more reckless ferocity, causing unnecessary losses for our troops."

Three strikes laws attempt to make the streets safer at enormous human and financial cost, swelling the prison population. While many believe they protect the public, the laws may make police work more hazardous by increasing the number of suspected criminals desperate not to be caught.

The pervasive and accurate perception by Iraqi insurgents that they may be tortured or rendered to unknown, uncontrolled centres where powerful, effective techniques, developed over the last half century by US psychologists, will break them down, may make them fight far more desperately and increase the suicidal ferocity factor, even among fighters not technically suicide bombers. Wouldn't any insurgent rather die than be captured alive under the circumstances?