An idea to cherish

How can the US avoid excessive murder of civilians in its “war on terror”?

Appoint a high-level position at the Pentagon dedicated to the human costs of war. Sarah Holewinski, executive director of the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, explains:

The Pentagon is a sprawling bureaucracy, but with all that manpower, there is no one place, no one person specifically paying attention to civilian casualties. Leadership from the top on this very contentious issue is absolutely necessary, lest U.S. forces continue to make more enemies than friends.…  The Pentagon position would assess the potential human cost of war before any shots are fired, make sure proven techniques to avoid civilians are in place and constantly improved, maintain proper investigative and statistical data on civilian harm in combat zones, and ensure prompt compensation to any civilians unintentionally harmed by U.S. combat operations.

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