Know Thy Enemy

"Iran Suicide Bomber Strikes in Anbar"
Published Feb. 18, 2010
Steven Lee Myers

To the Editor:

As I dove into the article regarding the recent suicide bombing in Iran I noticed a few things. Firstly, I would like to point out and commend the New York Times for being quite honest and blunt in regards to these picky issues. I find that many newspaper companies or individual articles try to conceal the real facts behind a sugar coating of "everything is just peachy-keen" while the truth remains savagely bloody. I would like to thank the New York Times for their clarity on the facts.
All flattery aside, however, I would like to note my concern of a comment made by Kari Abdul Hadi, the aide to Anbar's Governor, in regard to the bombers themselves. "We are lost." he says, "We don't know our enemy." This statement is somewhat disconcerting especially considering the amount of Iraqi and American aid that is being sent to help Anbar. If the person we are supporting has no clue as to who his enemies are or how to deal with them, what is the purpose of our aid? Perhaps we have soft hearts and want to help someone in need. While I agree with this, I do think that it falls on the shoulders of Hadi himself to research and know his enemy in order to appropriately address them.