Okay - I see your point...I should have been clearer and asked, "in what way are coalition forces fighting with one hand tied behind their backs".
I could understand that sentiment if you meant that insurgents follow no rules of engagement - because they don't. They can (and will) carry out acts that we would find barbaric. We would never parade the bodies of captured insurgents around town on the back of Jeeps...but even taking that into account, I don't see our forces as being hampered.
Where force is required, force is used.
The biggest problem facing allied troops is that no-one seems to have a clue (politicians and forces strategists) on exactly how to pull out of the region and leave it politically stable.
And this is a major headache for the west.
Because of oil, and more importantly, access to friendly nations to supply us.
If anyone asks "Why are we out there", I'll point them to the horrors of 70s inflation when the OPEC nations hiked the price of a barrel of crude oil from $10 a barrel to $50 in five years.
This contributed to the recession of the 70s and 80s.
This could easily happen again, and the global economy is not ready for it. After the banking and credit crisis - it's just not strong enough.