I think the more I read the less I understand. The CBC ran these paragraphs in a story on the situation in Iraq today:

On Sunday, U.S. forces were also presiding over the opening of a new state-of-the-art clinic in a poorer section of the city. A gift to Iraqis, courtesy of U.S. taxpayers, the clinic includes a 24-hour emergency room, a radiology lab and a pharmacy. Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commander of the Baghdad-based 1st Cavalry Division, said through acts line this, the army hopes to win the trust and confidence of Iraqis and thereby quell the insurgency.

"You're taking away the power base of the insurgency to go ahead and recruit new members. When people have no hope, when they have no hope for themselves, their children and their future, many times they'll turn to terrorism as a last resort," said Chiarelli.

Scores of Iraqis were killed and injured in the fighting ferried to nearby hospitals. Iraqi insurgents managed to disable a Bradley fighting vehicle, injuring four American soldiers. Witnesses said American aircraft fired on the burning tank, killing those standing near it. "There was a tank it was all burned up and there were some kids all around it. Two helicopters came in and shot the tank," said Fadhel Karim, who runs a pastry shop near the scene of the fighting.

Yesterday, Mazen al-Tomasi, a reporter for Al-Arabiya, was broadcasting live from the scene of a carbombed Bradley Fighting Vehicle, which had attracted a crowd of locals. While making his report, a sudden noise came from behind Mazen. Two Apache helicopters flew in overhead, and one of them started attacking the crowd, with their guns. The crowd, which included several small children, tried to run away. A helicopter launched a missile... Mazen al-Tomasi was struck by shrapnel from the blast on live television. His cameraman, Seif Fouad, fell down from the force of the explosion. Mazen's blood spattered across the camera's lens and the screams of the dying and injured were heard. Mazen screamed to Seif for help: "Seif, Seif! I'm going to die. I'm going to die." Seif grabbed Mazen and started to pull him out of harm's way. Suddenly, another missile was launched, and Seif was hit by shrapnel in the leg and abdomen. Seif, seriously wounded, watched his friend Mazen die soon afterwards. Twelve were killed, 61 wounded in the attack. A US military spokesman said the helicopters opened fire after coming under attack from the crowd, and that they fired to prevent looters from stripping the vehicle. That said, the vehicle was burning too badly to be stripped, and the television footage showed no evidence of any shooting from the ground, or indeed, any armed Iraqis whatsoever. The full video of this is was seen by millions of Arabs and is apparently something that Reuters has the rights to -- Saif works for Reuters -- but something tells me that it will never make the evening news.

The Metafilter comments include links to sources of the video as well as six pictures from the video which essentially show the death of the reporter.

I know enough to doubt pretty much everything but do they really think a clinic in one sector of a city will change attitudes when people in a street elsewhere are getting killed by Apache helicopter missles?  This seems to be an extreme form of either thinking in silos or bizarrely extreme carrot and stick. Whatever the politics, whatever the culture, whatever the war - can you conceive of anyone actually having their hearts won over in these circumstances?