THE BIG PICTURE
By FREDERICK J. CHIAVENTONE
December 12, 2004 -- THE hardest fighting in places like Fallujah and An Najaf has been concluded — for now. The casualties for American forces would, even for a campaign in Korea or Vietnam, be termed "light" — unless, of course the killed and wounded are your friends and family, in which case there is no such thing as a "light" casualty rate. This may be part of the problem for the United States.
It's tough in the middle of a war to maintain a sense of perspective, a sense of the "big picture."We have a number of reporters who spend a great deal of time down at the combat infantry level — what we used to refer to as "where the rubber meets the road" or, where it "hits the fan."
We also have a number of people covering what happens in Washington, D.C. — and other world capitals. Few of these reporters, if their comments are to be taken at face value, are very keen on or perceptive of what it is that we're trying to accomplish.
WHAT we seem to be miss ing are the mid- level view and the long view.
These are exceedingly hard to perceive when the bulk of the images and information to which we are privy are either exceedingly violent, as dense black smoke spirals up from some car bombing, or as American troops dash through rubble and fire from the doubtful protection of ruined doorways; mundane, as administration spokesmen — generals, the secretary of defense or President Bush — state overall policy objectives; or dismal, as homeless Iraqis look up at the cameras, their eyes a mixture of fear, hate and despair. While all of these images are valid, none should be taken in isolation as a true picture of what's at stake in Iraq.
Where, for example, are the images of American troops providing aid, comfort and support to Iraqi citizens?
Where are the images of average Iraqi citizens busily at work rebuilding their lives and their businesses?
Where are the images of Iraqi soldiers and policemen working hard at re-establishing a stable and prosperous society?
We don't see many of those images, and yet they exist — far more so than the images of violence and death that so pervade our television newscasts and daily newsprint.
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