This
week
the polls have turned against President Bush over
Iraq as the Democrats begin to lay on him about the
way the end of the war has been administered. The casualties
since the end of the war surpassed those during the
war. White House staffers have said that they didn't
anticipate the chaotic situation in Iraq after claiming
victory in May.
I was leafing through an interesting book I picked
up last year called War
Before Civilization in which the author concludes
that conflict was more prevalent for pre-'civilized'
groups, far from the idyllic, peaceful communities
spoken about in anti-industrial thought.
Most of the book contains evidence from throughout
prehistory and contemporary fringe groups such as
those who live in the Amazon and Borneo backing up
the author's claim. What I find interesting is to
compare the conclusion with the surprise of the White
House when faced with the mounting casualties in the
post-war period.
During any war between modern states there are in
fact very restrictive rules under which armies fight.
There is a beginning of hostilities, a campaign period,
and after one side is decisively defeated, both parties
can negotiate an armistice. Non-strategic civilian
or non-military targets are usually avoided as irrelevant
or undesirable because the goal of modern war is the
defeat of the other military. The goal is political.
In the tribal mode, war is conducted as a matter
of survival. There is no real distinction between
peace and conflict and because of the high stakes,
anyone and anything is fair game. The goal is material.
What we have in Iraq is war in the tribal mode. Iraq
is a country of groups that largely were not actors
in the previous political war and now, in absence
of authority, are fighting it out as tribes. With
a rampant crime rate, unsecured basic needs, and unclear
future stake in the political New Iraqi state, these
groups are battling for survival. For all in Iraq,
there is more daily conflict and more personal danger
for everyone than during the brief war period.
It should have come as no surprise to the White House
and the Pentagon that the situation would be worse
now than during the campaign (and of course before
hostilities began).
've
been using my free time (not used up by the Vancouver
International Film Festival) to think creatively. I've
been working on two scripts at the same time. But I
also have been thinking about new ways of visual communication.
Someone on DVInfo has introduced me to a cult-like community
built around Russian-built cameras, specifically Lomo
cameras. These look exceedingly charming and some of
them are innovative in that special Russian way. You
can even buy all of their cameras in a 'huge wooden
crate'. The website is also hilarious. 
