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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA 'OWN GOALS' IN THE GWOT
America Squanders Handling of Abu Ghraib by Byron Williams 
Published on Wednesday, May 4, 2005 by Working For Change America Squanders Handling of Abu Ghraib Opportunity to make statement to world turns into yet another mistake by Byron Williams One year ago, the United States and the world was shocked by the photos of sadistic acts taken at Abu Ghraib prison. Soon after 60 Minutes II aired the photos depicting brutality and sexual humiliation, Congress and the Bush Administration assured us they would get to the bottom of it. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told foreign leaders: "Watch America. Watch how we deal with this. Watch how America will do the right thing." Well, I've been watching how the United States has dealt with it, and from my vantage point Abu Ghraib is unlikely to make the highlight reel on how democracies handle matters of injustice. It is a stain on our democracy that Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski -- the army reserve officer who commanded the military police unit at the Abu Ghraib, who was relieved of her command and given a written reprimand -- along with the infamous "few bad apples," have been the only ones held accountable. The recent high-level army investigation has cleared four of the five top army officers overseeing operations in Iraq of responsibility for the abuse of detainees. As reported in the New York Times, barring any new evidence the army's latest inquiry effectively brings closure on whether the highest-ranking officers in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib prison scandal bear any responsibility. Army investigation notwithstanding, it is premature to close the chapter on Abu Ghraib. The world has watched as we conducted what was tantamount to the fox serving simultaneously as chief investigator, prosecutor, defense council, judge and jury in what we described as a legitimate attempt to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing eggs. Iraq, in its current state, remains a bastion of uncertainty. After millions of Iraqis risked their lives to vote in January, politicians have struggled to form a government. Since that time, tens of thousands of supporters of a militant Shiite cleric filled central Baghdad's streets demanding American soldiers go home, marking the second anniversary of Baghdad's fall with shouts of "No, no to Satan!" Protesters have burned U.S. flags as well as cardboard cutouts of President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Saddam -- all handcuffed and dressed in red Iraqi prison jumpsuits that signified they had been condemned to death. I would imagine that they, too, have heeded Powell's advice by watching how the United States has dealt with Abu Ghraib. Moreover, according to Human Rights Watch, the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison were just the "tip of the iceberg" of U.S. mistreatment of Muslim prisoners. They contend the abuses are part of a larger pattern of U.S. rights violations of detainees in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. "It's now clear that abuse of detainees has happened all over -- from Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay to a lot of third-country dungeons where the United States has sent prisoners. And probably quite a few other places we don't even know about," Reed Brody, special counsel for Human Rights Watch said in a statement. In what is our worst military atrocity since the My Lai massacre, this government has done everything in its power to limit accountability to a few underlings. But in the words of William Cullen Bryant, "Truth crushed to earth shall rise again." For this reason Abu Ghraib will continue to resurface whenever there is a lull in progress in Iraq. The first anniversary of Abu Ghraib is also a haunting reminder of our collective reluctance to demonstrate justifiable outrage toward something that is antithetical to the American Experiment. Was not the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq designed to end the decades of suffering inflicted by Saddam on his people? We can ill-afford to respond to Abu Ghraib with, "Yes it is bad, but..." In doing so, we give tacit approval to the torture we claim to abhor. If a president's sexual peccadilloes warrant an independent council, surely our involvement in torture would demand the something similar. If this country stands for freedom and democracy then Machiavelli must be wrong: Ends cannot justify the means. Meanwhile, the world has taken Powell's advice. I wonder if there is a retraction forthcoming. Byron Williams writes a weekly political/social commentary at Byronspeaks.com. Byron serves as pastor of the Resurrection Community Church in Oakland, California. © 2005 Working Assets |