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…Same As the Old Boss
It must have driven the most powerful forces in the Bush Administration crazy. The predictions and promises upon which the war were based were falling like tin soldiers in a gale-force wind. There were no weapons of mass destruction. There were no adoring crowds hailing the Americans as conquering heroes in a manner reminiscent of Paris in 1944. However, the argument could still be made that at least the Iraqi people were safe from Saddam Hussein and his tyrannical, brutal government. That the house of torture known as Abu Ghraib was now being used by the Americans to humiliate and abuse Iraqi citizens undermined this last justification for the war. Although there had been a regime change, the new regime was still stripping Iraqis naked and tormenting them. Some asked, what is the difference?
Others responded that the actions taken by the Americans against Iraqis at Abu Ghraib were different. While it was true that people were subjected to humiliation and psychological abuse, this was in no way comparable to the actions taken by Saddam’s forces at Abu Ghraib. Under Saddam, Iraqis were subjected to physical abuse. People were brutally tortured, maimed and killed. The actions taken by the Americans certainly caused embarrassment and torment for Iraqi prisoners. However, what the Americans were doing in Abu Ghraib did not remotely resemble what Saddam Hussein had done. To make the comparison was asinine.
Can the actions of U.S. forces at Abu Ghraib be distinguished from those of Saddam Hussein? Is physical abuse worse than psychological abuse, such as humiliation? Should the U.S. be given more latitude to engage in methods of interrogation that constitute psychological coercion, rather than physical torture? Are you prepared to say that any form of manipulation or coercion, whether physical or psychological, is unacceptable as a means of interrogation?
Imagine U.S. prisoners being paraded naked before cameras, being forced to simulate sexual acts, and being led on a leash by enemy captors. What would the reaction of the American people be? Do you believe the disclosure of events at Abu Ghraib make it more likely that Americans could face such a fate at some point?
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