The Numbers Game

The Means of Intervention Project is generating an online Collateral Damage Database to answer the question of why civilians die. The database and an accompanying report, which should be available within a year, will provide a comprehensive study of civilian casualties from the major U.S. combat operations since Desert Storm. “We want to establish a baseline of how many people died, explaining the efforts made to reduce civilian casualties and what more could be done,” notes Carr Center consultant William Arkin.

The database is more than just a body count, adds Kennedy School’s Sarah Sewall. “We’re trying to determine where, how, and why people died, with the goal being to minimize future harm.”