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War and occupation create innocent victims. We count the body bags of American soldiers; there have been more than 1000 in Iraq. The rest of the world also looks at the Iraqis who get killed daily. There have been 15 times more. Some were trying to kill our soldiers; far too many were totally innocent, including many women and children. Every innocent death helps the terrorists' cause by stirring anger against America and bringing them potential recruits.

George Soros#50

WarPolicyEthics

About this quote

What does it mean?
Occupation creates many innocent victims whose deaths fuel terrorist recruitment and anger against the US.
In plain terms
Killing innocents in war helps enemies by making more recruits.
What can you take from it?
Collateral damage can worsen conflicts by creating new enemies.

Where it applies

  • conflict zones
  • policy review

Putting it to work

  • minimize civilian harm
  • assess strategic costs

Questions to consider

  • When does force become counterproductive?
  • How to protect innocents in war?

Another view

Military necessity sometimes outweighs moral concerns in strategy.

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