I utterly abhor the act of desperate barbarism inflicted upon Nicholas Berg and his family. Nobody should ever have to suffer that way through such an indiscriminate act of savagery. At the same time I do not accept that this act was perpetrated by persons who should be considered as 'subhuman'. I believe the murderers to be both fully human and fully aware of what they were doing.


It has always been my understanding that demonising "the enemy" is a necessity of war. The belief that the enemy is somehow 'subhuman' or in someway 'inferior' is surely a prerequisite (or even an excuse) that enables soldiers to perform their duties with the full support of their governments and countrymen. If we take this view wholeheartedly then there is no act, however abhorrent, that cannot be inflicted on an enemy, and ultimately justified in the name of defence or imposing a 'better' or 'more human' regime.      

I feel we have to resist all attempts at demonisation, and take the view we are all equally human. And because we are all equally human we are all equally capable of these 'subhuman' acts if pushed hard enough and into a corner.   I suspect if we all think long and hard enough we could all identify circumstances in which we might kill another human being, particularly if we felt that we, and our families, were being threatened.

If we take the view that someone is a fanatic, religious or otherwise, and is somehow subhuman, then we must also accept the probability that they view us in the same light, regardless of how loftily we view our own motives, and we therefore have to accept the inevitable consequences of this. I honestly believe this was probably the case with those who perpetrated 9/11 and Berg's murder. They believe America and Americans to be 'subhuman'.

Surely this way lies madness and conflicts that no amount of firepower, brute force, or "Shock & Awe" are going to resolve. I perceive the real Iraq war starting the moment President Bush stood on that aircraft carrier and announced "Mission Accomplished", a remark that I find is sounding ever more hollow and fatuous as events unfold and the body count increases.

Resolution?   I believe it begins with looking the "enemy" straight in the eye and acknowledging common humanity, and everything, including the abyss, that this involves. Otherwise the result is Assured Mutual Destruction, not in an instant perhaps, but inevitable none the less.   

Like it or not "Terrorists" are as human as the rest of us and we have to find a way of engaging with them if we are to end the conflict. I'm not aware that anyone has ever neutralised terrorism by bombing the shit out of all and sundry. Quite the contrary in fact.

Bill