Abu Ghraib incident: a natural consequence of U.S. hubris

The Administration should stop searching for names, ranks, and serial numbers of those guilty of the reprehensible prisoner abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison. It is clear that those most responsible are sitting right here in Washington, D.C.

They appear in commercials, at press conferences, hide in undisclosed secret locations, work at the Pentagon. One is even running for re-election as president this November.

They are the very same people who for the past several years have thumbed their noses at international laws and norms, such as the Kyoto accords, SALT treaties, and the Geneva Convention on Human Rights, which long have governed the conduct of nations. They are the ones that scoffed at international organizations such as the UN, which better men fought tooth and nail to establish because they were in the best interest of the US and the world.

It is this contemptuous attitude that pervades the current Administration and causes the world to denounce the US as arrogant. It is this attitude that runs roughshod over basic human rights of those held at Camp X-ray in Guantanamo, in brigs on ships stationed off our Atlantic coast, in tent camps in Afghanistan, and in Iraq.

It is this attitude that ramrods through legislation that undermines the rights of all Americans. That tells civilian courts to buzz off when they try prying into alleged human rights/civil liberties abuses. And that snubs its nose at a bipartisan commission looking into the tragedy of 9-11; that is, delaying and delaying until the political backlash is so great that they’re compelled to make an appearance, but only if it’s off the record, without an oath, and Dick’s there for support.

And now this hubris has trickled down to the lower ranks. Those disgusting photos speak volumes not only of those directly involved but reflect our government’s general disdain for the countries, cultures, and systems of rest of the world.

It is this very attitude that will unsurprisingly continue to create similar consequences until some change occurs.

From the Wash. Post OP/Ed from this morning:
Senior officers and administration officials responsible for creating the lawless system of detention and interrogation employed in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere since 2001 should be held accountable. And the system itself must, at last, be changed to conform with the Geneva Conventions and other international norms of human rights. Congress, above all, must finally begin to exercise its authority to oversee and regulate the administration's handling of foreign detainees. That several of its senior Republican members were proclaiming themselves shocked yesterday to learn of the abuses -- as if none had been previously reported -- was itself shameful.

Shameful is an understatement.

It’s an unfortunate truth that the standards of our country start at the top. They begin with the actions and attitudes exhibited on a daily basis and eventually find their way into laws and regulations. They are exhibited in the way our leadership deals with other countries and the way we treat even those who purport to be our enemies. It is these standards that set the trend for other arms of a government and eventually trickle down to the lowest common denominator of our nation and are imported beyond.

The undeniable truth is that the US sets the gold standard in terms of military might and economic prowess to which many countries aspire. It is considered the leader of the world. When civil wars break out, earthquakes devastate, warlords torture, crops die, countries call out for our aid in distress. They call for the US to police or monitor an election or send its doctors.

From this standpoint, the US is the leader, whether it likes it or not, and its influence far reaching. But influence extends beyond mere displays of military wizardry and financial robustness. Other countries as well as people are influenced by the standards of humanity that a country represents. It is here where the Administration is failing. The standards it sets and the messages it sends are heard above everything else.

Unfortunately, that message is: we don’t give a damn about you.