The first link is having a human-rights-media complex that is reflexively anti-American or at least suspicious of us. Throw in some who are downright sympathetic to the enemy of America is a bonus.
The next link is to have an enemy willing to kill civilians to fight us. They hide among civilians either to protect themselves or to cause civilian casualties when we fight the enemy even though civilians surround the enemy.
The next link is to have the human rights industry complain that we are killing civilians without explaining that the responsiblity lies with the enemy who fights among civilians.
The next link is to have the media report these charges without informing the public of the responsibilities of the enemy to avoid civilians and remind readers that we have the right under internaional law to fire regardless of the presence of civilians. Explaining that we expend great effort from weapons development to rules of engagement to minimize civilian casualties would be nice too, but is rarely done.
This is the next step,with President Karzai of Afghanistan reacting to the reports:
"Attacks causing civilian casualties, as I have said before, are not acceptable for us. It is no longer tolerated," Karzai told reporters on Saturday.
"As you are aware over the past several days, as result of indiscriminate and unprecise operations of NATO and coalition forces, our people suffered casualties," he said, flanked by his Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.
Karzai can resist pressure to react to this death only so much.
The next step is that we stop fighting the enemy as hard as we have whenever civilians are near or we risk alienating civilian support in Afghanistan.
The next step is that the enemy can move more freely by making sure they are surrounded by civilians.
The next step is that the enemy is able to kill our forces and innocent civilians more effectively.
If our press would refuse to cooperate in this enemy weapon, fewer civilians would die. That won't happen.
UPDATE: We are resisting playing our part in this ploy:
"There's no particularly new procedures that we are using right now. We think the procedures that we have in place are good -- they work," he told reporters at the Pentagon by videolink from Bagram Air Base near Kabul.
"We have to rely on training, we have to rely on the experience of our leaders out there to make the right decisions on the scene," said Votel, who is NATO's deputy commander in eastern Afghanistan and also has a senior coalition role.
He said many civilian casualties were caused because Taliban insurgents launched attacks in populated areas and used ordinary Afghans and their homes as cover.
The pressure will be too much eventually. At least for a while.
UPDATE: NATO counter-attacks:
"Let me make one point unmistakably clear -- NATO has never killed and will never intentionally kill innocent civilians," de Hoop Scheffer said in an address to the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) security forum. ...
"The majority of civilian casualties in Afghanistan have been caused by Taliban suicide bombs and roadside bombs," the NATO chief told the meeting of some 600 delegates.
"They, our opponents, show absolutely no hesitation to slaughter or maim the Afghan people with their indiscriminate attacks -- they even take their wives and children with them on suicide missions to reduce the chances of them being caught."
The pressure is not yet too great. So the Taliban will continue to be slaughtered even if they shelter behind civilians. For now. The enemy will keep trying to compel us to exercise enough restraint to provide the Taliban with freedom of movement.
