Radley Balko has a post very much worth reading on the inevitable consequences of war, no matter how well-intentioned.

Some highlights:

Let’s look at this in purely self-interested terms. What do you suppose is going to become of this little girl? Think she’ll dismiss her dead parents in light of the larger picture, this grand scheme to remap the Middle East? What do you suppose the prospects are, now, that we’ll win her over to our cause? What about her sister, who was also wounded? What about their extended family? Friends? Neighbors? What about moderate Arabs/Muslims who see this image on TV? …

I’ve written before that I think out troops are on par the most measured, humane, restrained military force in in history. I still think that. I think we do more to avoid collateral damage than can really be reasonably expected of us. We ought to be proud of that. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Reality isn’t important. Perception is. My point with this picture isn’t “look at how brutal the United States is.” My point is, “what do you think the world’s billion Muslims think when they see this?” What happened before the picture doesn’t matter. What happens after doesn’t matter either. What matters is the picture. Screaming kid. Covered in blood. America killed her parents. For the people who we’re trying to win over, that’s the entire story.

Shit like this is always going to happen in war. No matter how well-intentioned the military waging it. It happens in every war, as do Mi Lais and Abu Ghraibs. It’s not the nature of America or the American military. It’s the nature ofwar. That’s why we’d better be damned sure any war we fight is essential only to defend us from grave, immediate harm, because even if it is all of that, shit’s going to happen to make new people hate us.