Reinforcing the Analogy

From Yahoo News: "A U.S. Army digger destroys one of several houses in the Iraqi town of Ramadi, some 90 km (55 miles) west of the capital Baghdad June 3, 2003. Soldiers said that U.S. forces stationed nearby came under attack from these houses and it was decided to remove them." (Posting it here rather than just linking because Yahoo links tend to be ephemeral.)

Pictures like this will go a long way toward convincing the Iraqis that we aren't creating New Palestine. I came across this picture at Shock and Awe, where Kynn notes:

Once upon a time, a non-Muslim country won a short war in the Middle East, and set themselves up as military occupiers of the mostly Muslim people. The United Nations was powerless to do much besides pick up the pieces and provide the care for the native population (which the occupier showed little concern for), because the occupying country paid little heed to the U.N.'s opposition. The people of the subjugated country soon became angry at their occupiers, demanding self-rule. Urged on by extremist Muslim clerics, those people began to resort to terrorist suicide bombs, striking at the oppressors. In response to these attacks, the occupying power began demolishing Arab homes, stating military necessity and claiming the homes were being used to stage attacks.

Yes, that does sound terribly familiar. And that photograph will have a resonance across every nation in the region.