Ben Roberts-Smith, Judge says he is a murderer

[Interceptor]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

I sincerely hope a civilised society does not compete on who can be the bigger bastard against civilians, nor go into civilian's homes in a non combat scenario (as has been alleged), and start shooting. That ain't peace, thats one sure way to breed the next gen of extremists.

When history shows that the opposing forces, be it the Taliban, Vietcong, or whoever are willing to go to extremes to ensure the co-operation of the civilian population, sometimes, yes, you need to be the bigger bastard.

Or do you really believe they wont hide in amongst the civilian population waiting for an opportune time to strike?

Its unpalatable to many in the western world to tell the locals "Yes, we know they've threatened you with XXXXX if you dont help them, but if you do, we WILL do much, MUCH worse", but promising to build schools and hospitals isnt much comfort to the locals when they know the taliban wont leave anyone alive in their village to see those promises come to life.