The current looting that seems to be going on throughout Iraq is the first example of the problems that will come about in rebuilding the country. There have been claims that Allied troops should do more to block the looting, but there really aren't enough troops to cover the whole country, and, even if there were, most don't speak Arabic and aren't trained for law enforcement functions. So really, there isn't much that can be done except to have soldiers travelling around the cities shooting those Iraqis who appear to be looting, and shooting Iraqi civilians who aren't attacking us is one of the things that the Army is trying to avoid.
posted by Alex at 2:29 PM
