July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Damage will be hard to fix
Opinion
It has been difficult to find the right words.
Appalling. Abhorrent. Dreadful. Embarrassing. Inhumane. Disgusting. Shameful.
The list of adjectives can stretch on for miles, but none of them seems sufficient to describe photos of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of their American captors.
And just as the list of adjectives stretches on, so does the list of those damaged by these heinous acts.
At the top of the list, of course, are the individuals themselves, treated worse than animals then subjected to the humiliation of degrading photography. To them, as Americans, all we can do is apologize and ask for forgiveness of acts committed in our nation’s name.
But the second spot on the list goes to America’s men and women in uniform, who have seen themselves let down — betrayed is not too strong a word — by their comrades in arms. The justifiable pride of the nation’s military has been besmirched and diminished by the actions of a few.
It will take time and strong action to cleanse this wound. Sunlight is a great disinfectant, and the process of justice should be as open and public as possible.
Third on our list would be America itself, its idea of itself as a nation. The images broadcast around the world in the past several days are simply incompatible with American ideals, beliefs, and traditions.
But the fact that the images do exist and that routine cruelties were dispensed in America’s name should prompt some serious soul-searching.
This isn’t some speed-bump in the path of history. It’s an awful milestone and deserves reflection.
Finally, there’s the damage done to American policy abroad, which has been undermined in ways that may be impossible to overestimate.
By behaving in ways that play into our enemies’ worst propaganda, individuals at Abu Ghraib prison have made it more difficult than ever to advance America’s cause in Iraq and the Arab world.
It will be years, perhaps generations, before there’s a true assessment of the damage done. — J.R.
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Appalling. Abhorrent. Dreadful. Embarrassing. Inhumane. Disgusting. Shameful.
The list of adjectives can stretch on for miles, but none of them seems sufficient to describe photos of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of their American captors.
And just as the list of adjectives stretches on, so does the list of those damaged by these heinous acts.
At the top of the list, of course, are the individuals themselves, treated worse than animals then subjected to the humiliation of degrading photography. To them, as Americans, all we can do is apologize and ask for forgiveness of acts committed in our nation’s name.
But the second spot on the list goes to America’s men and women in uniform, who have seen themselves let down — betrayed is not too strong a word — by their comrades in arms. The justifiable pride of the nation’s military has been besmirched and diminished by the actions of a few.
It will take time and strong action to cleanse this wound. Sunlight is a great disinfectant, and the process of justice should be as open and public as possible.
Third on our list would be America itself, its idea of itself as a nation. The images broadcast around the world in the past several days are simply incompatible with American ideals, beliefs, and traditions.
But the fact that the images do exist and that routine cruelties were dispensed in America’s name should prompt some serious soul-searching.
This isn’t some speed-bump in the path of history. It’s an awful milestone and deserves reflection.
Finally, there’s the damage done to American policy abroad, which has been undermined in ways that may be impossible to overestimate.
By behaving in ways that play into our enemies’ worst propaganda, individuals at Abu Ghraib prison have made it more difficult than ever to advance America’s cause in Iraq and the Arab world.
It will be years, perhaps generations, before there’s a true assessment of the damage done. — J.R.
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