May 5, 2004
IRAQ PRISONER ABUSE DRAWS GLOBAL MEDIA OUTRAGE
KEY FINDINGS
** World media condemn "sadistic abuse" at Abu Ghraib;
call torture a "major defeat" for U.S.
** Such "barbaric idiocy" will recruit more terrorists
and inflame "intense anger" against West.
** Euros want "swift punishment" for the guilty; others
say court martial "doesn't go far enough."
** Arabs, Muslims insist torture was not isolated and demand U.S.
be tried for war crimes.
'Systematic torture' of POWs leaves U.S.-UK authority 'utterly,
shamefully destroyed'-- The editorial consensus worldwide held U.S. and UK forces
guilty of "sadistic abuse" of "harmless prisoners," thus
destroying the Coalition's "small dose of moral legitimacy" and any
remaining chance of winning hearts and minds.
Writers across the spectrum denounced the acts as "shocking and
repulsive" and "beyond shame."
Capturing a prevailing sentiment, India's nationalist Hindustan Times
judged: "America may have just lost its moral high ground in the
much-touted fight between the forces of good and evil." Though the "scale and intensity" do
not compare with Saddam's brutality, the idea in Iraq was "never to
replace one depravity with another," one South African editor
averred. Even stalwart supporters of the
Iraq war were outraged by the "lamentable failure of leadership and
discipline," and shared the consternation of London's Daily Telegraph
that: "If there were any Iraqis who believed the coalition's claim that
they were benign liberators, there won't be many now."
'Confirms all Arab cliches of a decadent godless West' and will
fuel 'cycle of hate'-- Western observers
worried that the images of tortured POWs would "fan the fires of
anti-American hate in the Arab world," declaring those responsible
"have guaranteed thousands of new recruits" for al-Qaida and other
Islamic extremist groups. The disclosure
of the "sadistic practices" was, as Oslo's social-democratic Dagsavisen
put it, "a gift to the international enemies of the U.S." Papers in Asia and the developing world
warned that those countries claiming "to be the abode of civilization and
democracy" would pay for their "systematic" and "barbaric
treatment." Zimbabwe's independent Sunday
Mirror was not alone in saying the "abusive actions hand Islamic
extremist terrorist groups such as UBL's...network extra campaign cards in
their bid for more recruits and a Jihad on the West." Chiding the "sole superpower" for
failing to live up to its world status, a moderate South Korean paper advised:
"Never forget it was the Roman Empire itself that caused its doom, not
outside invasions."
'Leading democracies' deserve 'global condemnation'-- Commentators in all regions judged the incident
more serious than a handful of "rogue" cases committed by "a few
misguided soldiers acting under stress."
They viewed the "excesses" in Abu Ghraib as symptomatic of
"serious flaws in the system," a violation of the Geneva Convention
and evidence that "America does not fully abide by the law" in the
war on terror. "It's not simply a
case of a few bad apples," as South Africa's liberal This Day put
it, "but the way occupation troops see themselves: as conquerors,
justified in their actions against lesser beings." Most joined the conservative Australian
in calling for "rapid and exemplary punishment," not only for the
"torturers" but also for the "higher-ups who let it all
happen." While Italy's center-right
Il-Giornale implored "the great American nation" to show a
"clear and strong response to justice," a Spanish skeptic contended
that the transparency required of Washington and London "won't
happen." Others stressed the need
for "a thorough probe" into the role not only of the corporate
security "mercenaries" but also of U.S. military intelligence and the
CIA.
'Barbaric and inhumane' treatment represents not a few, but
'America as a whole'-- Arab and Muslim writers
portrayed the Abu Ghraib incident as evidence that the U.S. was "nurturing
a sense of revenge" and seeking to humiliate the Arab world. None believed the cases were "aberrant
or isolated"; they were "a crime against humanity" and a
reflection of "true American intentions in Iraq." Egypt's pro-government Al-Ahram
charged the U.S. with "a total disregard for international law and the
Geneva Convention," while a conservative Saudi daily compared the U.S and
UK "to Stalin, Nazism, and other war criminals." Editorials in Jordan and Syria accused the
U.S. of "hideous crimes for sheer entertainment" and of seeking to
"suppress" the Iraqi people "no matter what." Demanding an international investigation, the
pro-government Yemen Times charged "the gross misconduct in Abu
Ghreib is not the exception but the rule in all 'coalition' prison camps." Most joined the West Bank's independent Al-Ayyam
in deriding Washington's "recipe for democracy" and a Greater Middle
East, calling the abuse part of "a new formula to guarantee U.S. control
over the region and a way to keep all Arab regimes humiliated and
subjugated...with no right to argue."
In Turkey, mass-appeal Sabah likewise denounced the acts as
"a manifestation of hypocrisy in the American democracy
project."
EDITOR: Irene Marr
EDITOR's NOTE: Media Reaction reporting conveys the spectrum of
foreign press sentiment. Posts select
commentary to provide a representative picture of local editorial opinion. This report summarizes and interprets foreign
editorial opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S.
Government. This analysis is based on
128 editorials from 44 countries, May 1-5.
EUROPE
BRITAIN: "I Saw Our
Failure Through The Bars Of Abu Ghraib"
Columnist Simon Jenkins commented in the conservative Times
(5/5): "As for those running the
prisons, I do not see them as 'a few bad apples'. They are victims of the shambles to which
America and Britain have reduced a country they claim to have liberated. After 14 months there is no room for
excuses. Liberation has been followed by
a new bondage, that of individual insecurity, public anarchy and, in much of
the country, a looming clerical totalitarianism."
"Ordinary, Decent Soldiers Doing A Good Job In A Dangerous
Place"
Columnist Patrick Bishop commented in the conservative Daily
Telegraph stated (5/5):
"Whether the pictures [of British troops allegedly abusing Iraqi
prisoners] are fake or genuine, the damage is done. No denial or contrary evidence will be enough
to persuade the Iraqis or the wider Arab world that our troops are not engaged
in routine brutality. The 10
investigations launched into separate allegations of ill-treatment of prisoners
in Iraq show that we have nothing to be complacent about."
"Why Those Pictures Had To Be Shown"
The tabloid Daily Mirror took this view (Internet version,
5/4): "The storm over the Mirror's
pictures showing an Iraqi prisoner being beaten by British soldiers is
understandable. Just as national pride
swells when our forces perform great acts of heroism, so we feel badly let down
when they act like this. The Mirror has
no doubt that the photographs are genuine and the story they tell as real as it
is horrifying. Others, with their own
vested interests, are determined that they are cruel fakes. The Ministry of Defense has taken a neutral
position, as is right and proper while its investigation continues,
dissociating itself from the regimental colonel who has been denigrating the
Mirror story. But one absolutely vital
point must not be lost in the welter of nit-picking and argument. And that is that this incident is only one of
a series being investigated into rogue elements in the Queen's Lancashire
Regiment. Those who say the Mirror has
inflamed the situation in Basra are talking nonsense. Our publication of the photos has explained
why tensions there are running so high and our troops facing such danger. This incident did happen. It appears to have been one of several
carried out by men who, in the words of Sir Michael Jackson, are not fit to
wear the Queen's uniform. It is not in
the interests of this country, the army, the regiment or other newspapers to
say this is not a true and proper cause for concern and investigation."
"The Images That Shame Us All"
The center-left Observer observed (5/2): "Pictures of torture and abuse of prisoners,
such as those that emerged last week, are not only deeply shocking, their
incendiary nature seriously imperials hopes of peace in the region.... But outrage, though clearly and promptly
expressed, is not enough. We hope that
it speaks of a genuine sense of anger and a determination to conduct a vigorous
investigation and to adhere rigorously to rules of imprisonment and
interrogation in future."
"The Electrodes' Switch Is In Washington"
Henry Porter wrote in the center left Independent
(5/2): "The Americans have been
negligent in the extreme to allow this situation. Try as we might to forget these episodes, we
can be sure that they will live on in Arab minds for a generation. Al-Qaida and Hamas could not have designed a
better recruiting poster. The Abu Ghraib
portfolio is shocking, but not at base so surprising. Since the 'war on terror' was inaugurated...
the U.S. has permitted itself a much more relaxed interpretation of civil
liberties.... It is clear that if the
U.S. is prepared to ignore the liberties defined in the Bill of Rights of its
own citizens, it doesn't require special deliberation before foreigners are
abused on their own soil by U.S. Army personnel and their contracted thugs.... There are grounds to believe that the U.S.
has used a number of proxy nations to go the whole way with terrorist suspects.
Torturers employed by these nations--often Arab freelancers--are supplied with
questions by U.S. terrorist hunters in the hope of gaining what are eerily
known as 'extreme renditions.' The
electrodes may not be applied by U.S. citizens; the rubber truncheons may not
be wielded by 'our boys', but there is a sufficient dialogue between the
torturer and the terrorist hunter for us to attribute responsibility for
unthinkable suffering to U.S.policies....
George Bush can now respond only by formally renouncing all such
practices and more important, the connection with Middle Eastern states that
have tortured on behalf of the world's only superpower."
"The Propaganda War"
The conservative Scotsman of Edinburgh editorialized
(Internet version, 5/4): "The last
week has seen a difficult situation in the Middle East get worse rather than
better. The bottom line is that America
and Britain are losing the propaganda war in Iraq--and that is making it
increasingly difficult to ensure that an Iraqi provisional government can take
over on 30 June.... Newspapers and
television across the Arab world have assumed the worst [about the abuse of
prisoners].... It would be easy to
panic, but that would be an indulgence.
Now is the time for cool heads.
The Iraq problem is resolvable by doing exactly what the coalition went
to Baghdad to accomplish--giving ordinary Iraqis their independence through
free elections. Showing democracy in the
flesh is the way to dispel the exaggerations in parts of the Arab press
regarding Western intentions. In tandem
with elections in Iraq has to come some demonstration that the Israel-Palestine
road map can be implemented.... What is
apparent is that in the desperate prevailing situation in Iraq and the Middle
East, anything which prioritises greater democracy there must be championed
with vigor. The coalition is losing the
PR battle and it would be easy in the circumstances for the allies to give up
and retreat from the region. But having
undertaken regime change in Iraq, both have a duty to stick out the grim months
ahead and undertake fresh attempts to secure a peace settlement in the Middle
East."
"Coalition Comrades Will Pay In Blood For This Barbaric
Idiocy"
Former SAS officer Andy McNab commented in the conservative Daily
Telegraph (Internet version, 5/2):
"In a properly run army...an effective chain of command is
precisely what prevents soldiers' baser instincts from running riot. That is the whole point of military
discipline: to ensure that soldiers who
are placed in situations that generate extreme emotions never let those
emotions take them over.... The pictures
shown on television...demonstrate a lamentable failure of discipline and
leadership within at least one unit of the U.S. Army. If the latest allegations
against the British soldiers also prove to be true, they will indicate that
there are parts of the British Army which suffer from the same failing.... That individual soldiers have been allowed to
behave in so disgraceful a fashion in Iraq shows that some officers have lost
control of their own troops. There must
be swift, and very severe, punishment for that failure. And it should not just be the lowly ranks
pictured participating in the torture who are punished. There must be more than a mild reprimand for
the senior officers who are supposed to ensure that nothing of this kind ever
takes place.... Still, even severe
punishment publicly meted out to those responsible would not be able to undo
the damage done by the pictures.... The
photographs of the Americans taunting and insulting their Iraqi
prisoners...will have convinced thousands of Iraqis that the Americans are just
as bad as Saddam's torturers. If there
were any Iraqis who believed the coalition's claim that they were benign
liberators, there won't be many now. The
soldiers responsible for the abuse have guaranteed thousands of new recruits to
the organisations such as al-Qaida which want to kill as many coalition troops
in Iraq as possible. The images of
torture they have created will have stiffened the resolve of the Iraqi
militants and encourage those Iraqis who were wavering to join the resistance
against the coalition."
"Shame On Them"
The conservative Times had this view (5/2): "It is likely that only a tiny minority of
soldiers is involved, although the estimated 20,000 U.S. ex-military personnel
in Iraq may be a law unto themselves.
The propaganda value of these revelations to the coalition's enemies is
huge. Winning the peace means
recapturing the moral high ground. That
task is more urgent now than at any time since the invasion."
FRANCE: "And Now,
Torture"
Bruno Frappat opined in Catholic La Croix (5/5): "In this ghastly affair, the American
president has at least the merit of having condemned the abject conduct as soon
as it was made public. He did not try to
find excuses for the guilty soldiers; he did not deny the facts or hide behind
censorship. We must also give credit to
America's democratic society, which allows these facts to be revealed and
denounced, precisely because the U.S. is a democracy.... The horrible pictures of humiliated Iraqis by
Americans being shown around the world have devastating effects not only for
the guilty parties and the victims. They
accentuate the cycle of hate and humiliation.
This is the result of this war, which started in the name of freedom,
and is ending on a note of dishonor and bestiality."
"Misuse Of Power"
Gerard Dupuy commented in left-of-center Liberation
(5/5): "President Bush's armed forces
have just shot themselves in the foot.
The extreme reactions in the Arab world illustrate how high Arab rancor
is running, a rancor that has been accumulating and that was waiting for a
suitable pretext to express itself....
For Washington, the political damage will be immense.... In an indirect fashion, this pitiful episode
of Iraq's occupation will weigh in on the international alliance, which
President Bush has tried to build and which is flagging.... His friends were already on the defensive.... For his adversaries these pictures are a godsend
because they emphasize America's misuse of power.... Just when the Americans are asking for a
broader international participation in Iraq, the scandal will carry a high
price. Once again, President Bush's team
is paying for its militarist conception of politics.... Since yesterday, the Bush administration has
been working on damage control, but too late.
In the battle for public opinion, it has already lost one more skirmish. And there is no one else to blame for it."
"Torture In Iraq"
Left-of-center Le Monde editorialized (5/4): "We cannot minimize the impact these
photographs will have on the streets of Arab countries.... Neither can we point a finger only at the
coalition soldiers, because the Iraqi opponents have made wide use of blind
terror. Torture, unfortunately, is a
by-product of conflicts and repression.
No country is blameless, including France.... Even if the culprits are adequately and
rapidly punished, this could prove insufficient to quell the hostility of the
Iraqis.... President Bush's loss of
prestige is also serious: an
administration wanting to give lessons is now hoisted by its own
petard.... It is crucial for the
coalition's image and effectiveness that they respect the Geneva Convention, in
Iraq and in Guantanamo. This may not be
enough to right all wrongs. America's
honor depends on Washington's swift punishment of the guilty individuals and on
a return to the international laws that govern armed conflicts. Otherwise how can we convince the Iraqis and
the Muslims--if this is still possible--of Washington's good intentions? And how can other European countries be
convinced to take part in the peace process in Iraq under U.S. command?"
"Hell"
Patrick Sabatier wrote in left-of-center Liberation
(5/4): "One can lose a war in places
other than battlegrounds. The torture
that took place in the Abu Gharib prison is a major defeat for the U.S. The photographs fan the fires of
anti-American hate in the Arab world.
Elsewhere they trigger reactions of disgust, and take away from the
coalition's small dose of moral legitimacy, gained by toppling Saddam's
regime.... But the fact is that war is
hell. It can reveal the sleeping
bestiality that lies in all who are forced to go to war. Democracies which go to war must impose on
their men and women a certain discipline so that they can fight the demons that
haunt all battlegrounds.... And their
leaders must go to war only when absolutely necessary.... Responsibility lies also with President Bush,
who sent men into a war without weighing the consequences."
"In Iraq, The Civilized Are Now Reverting To Torture."
Dominique Bromberger commented on state-run France Inter radio
(5/3): "On either side of the Atlantic
military officials are trying to minimize the magnitude of the
phenomenon.... What happened behind the
walls of the prison is all the more shocking because in Saddam's times his men
used the same interrogation techniques, in the same prison, albeit more
severely.... The troubling fact that
emerges from the incident is that no one is immune from such behavior.... Man or woman, rich or poor, civilian or
military.... But we the French cannot
point a finger at anyone after the tortures that took place in Algeria.... It is also impossible to forget that it was
Germany, the land of philosophers and musicians, that proceeded with the worst
massacre that humanity has ever known....
Civilization is but a superficial varnish that cracks under the
slightest pressure. Especially when we
are not prepared for what awaits us. For
the GIs, the war was no more than a video game where blood was spilled at a
distance through the use of intelligent weapons. When they were faced with reality and its
acts of barbarianism, some jumped in a fit of rage, and later with
pleasure.... This type of behavior is
not all that surprising, even if we tend to forget it."
GERMANY: "Out Of
Control"
Frank Herold remarked in left-of-center Berliner Zeitung
(5/5): "Washington claimed to oust
an inhuman dictator to bring democracy, human rights and the rule of law to
Iraq, but at the latest now, this allegation has lost [the U.S.] any
credibility in the Arab world. The
hatred of the western leading power continues to grow. But the events are also dangerous for
Washington for a different reason. At
issue are not the crimes of a few perverse individuals, as the Pentagon wants
to make us believe.... The fighters
against terror follow the example of their superiors: they do not feel bound by rules and get out
of control. Bush seems to recognize
this, since he has promised a tough prosecution of the criminals...but it is
not enough to simply punish the torturers.
Human Rights Watch...demanded regular access for independent observers
to the prisons. This is the crucial
point: if the United States wants to
regain its credibility, it should no longer elude international control."
"The Lawless"
Business daily Financial Times Deutschland of Hamburg
judged (5/4): "All indications are
that this scandal cannot be minimized that easily. In the fight against terrorists and Iraqi
resistance groups, moral and legal standards have begun to slip. This is why far-reaching consequences must
now be taken by the military, the executive in the United States but also by
other democracies.... The excesses from
Abu Ghraib are not an accidental lack of discipline of a few GIs under
stress. They point to serious flaws in
the system: mistakable and ambiguous
signals of the leadership, insufficient controls, a total lack of an awareness
of being wrong. The argument that this
is a very perfidious opponent and the incidents are harmless compared to
terrorist atrocities does not count. If
the previous legal means in the fight against violence do not suffice, then
there is only one reliable answer: new
limits must be discussed in public and then be binding for everyone. Those who allow or even promote intelligence
services and special units to take the law into their own hands will in the end
jeopardize the credibility and the reputation of the rule of law--like now in
Iraq."
"The President And His Soldiers"
Michael Streck editorialized in leftist die tageszeitung of
Berlin (5/4): "The entire incident
could have easily be resolved if the mistreatments could be understood as
individual cases committed by a few misguided soldiers acting under
stress. But all of a sudden the armed
forces as an institution are brought into discredit, since reserve soldiers
allegedly acted on orders of their officers to force prisoners to
testify.... The incidents foster growing
unease at this war, and if U.S. media complain that the U.S. soldiers do not
know the Geneva Convention...then this points to the core of the problem: America does not fully abide by the law in
its war on terror. This is why the lack
of inhibition in Abu Ghraib is symptomatic.
In Guantánamo, too, prisoners are unable to enjoy basic rights.... Piece by piece, the United States is giving
up the rule of law. If President Bush is
an ideal for his soldiers, then only in a negative sense."
"Key Stimulus"
Center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine editorialized
(5/4): "Such pictures of the abuse
of Iraqi prisoners will outrage the people everywhere but the effect will not
be the same everywhere. It is very
likely that they will not increase resistance to the United States in the
Islamic world [and]....only confirm the existing perception pattern in the
region. The sympathies which America
enjoyed in the region following the 9/11 attacks have been forfeited by the
Bush administration with its Iraq policy.
The pictures will have a sustainable effect in Europe and America
itself. Many people are now referring to
My Lai in Vietnam...but whether this comparison is true...will depend on
further investigations."
"Torturers And Their Master"
Stefan Kornelius opined in an editorial in center-left Sueddeutsche
Zeitung of Munich (5/4): "The
U.S. government pretends that this is not its business...that the incident is
an indiscretion of a few individuals.
The U.S. government is wrong--and offers once again an example of its
perception of the world, which no longer fits the perception of the rest of the
world.... The U.S. government refers to
the military hierarchy and says that such things happen in a war. This is the perception from Washington--and
it is cynically ignorant. The Pentagon
has known for months that people were tortured--and did everything to keep the
facts secret. The military ignored that
its own intelligence services had become independent and have become a threat
for the values which America pretends to export to the world. An excess of this symbolic extent requires
more than a punishment in the military system, which in reality protects its
members. It is not enough to put the
torturers and their instructors on trial.
Such a symbolic crime can be balanced only with a political
sacrifice. It requires the resignation
of the secretary responsible. This is
the only chance to convey to the Iraqis the meaning of democratic values."
"The Hearts Of the Boys"
Mariam Lau opined in an editorial in right-of-center Die Welt
of Berlin (5/4): "General Taguba's
report...indicates that we have to deal with a strategy in the war on terror
that has also been reported from Afghanistan to Guantánamo. It may be true or not, but it is clear that
we have again to deal with another effect of Secretary Rumsfeld's
strategy. He wanted to tell the military
and the State Department how quickly and with how few soldiers he would be able
to put the old regime to flight. If he
had listened to his supreme commander instead of exposing him to ridicule, if
he had not ignored the warnings of the post-war chaos and sent enough political
advisors, judges and lawyers, he would not have to rely on 20,000 mercenaries
to support his forces and who are not bound by any code of law. But the pictures of smirking boys and girls
from Virginia also signal that the hearts and minds of ordinary Americans were
not won for the mission in Iraq. This
impression is also supported by the fact that the government does not want to
show the pictures of coffins draped with the Stars and Stripes to the relatives
of fallen soldiers.... It is easy to
guess what effect the pictures will have in the hearts of Arab observers.... It is certainly right that such things happen
in a war, but in a campaign that his waged in the name of democracy such
pictures are fatal."
"Systematic Humiliation"
Dietmar Ostermann opined in an editorial in left-of-center Frankfurter
Rundschau (5/3): "The more
details on the torture of POWs are coming to the fore, the greater the
suspicion that more is behind the incorrect conduct of a few U.S. and probably
also British soldiers. On the one hand,
there were too many incidents that can no longer be minimized as individual
cases. On the other hand, the question
must be raised which role superiors and above all the responsible intelligence
services played.... And finally, we must
also wonder who is politically responsible.
With respect to the treatment of prisoners, the Bush administration has
ignored international rights...right from the start in the 'war against
terror.'... Those who create a climate
with 'soft' torture like endless interrogations and deprivation of sleep in
which the human dignity of an enemy counts less than its possible use for the
intelligence services, should not be surprised at sadistic excesses and at a
loss of all inhibitions if soldiers still think they served their country when
they torture prisoners. President Bush
may be nauseated at the pictures of torture.
But with the tough punishment he promised, he will not resolve the
devastating loss of image."
"Lower Instincts"
Georg Gafron editorialized in mass-circulation, right-of-center
tabloid Bild-Zeitung of Hamburg (5/3):
"Shocking and repulsive.
These are the only words that come to our minds when watching the
pictures of tortured Iraqis. The
perpetrators were obviously Americans and British. There is no apology for the crime of abuse of
prisoners. But it would be wrong to even
equate the fatal activities of individual soldiers with the crimes of Saddam's
regime. Those who easily do this or do
this with malicious intentions are trying to attack the entire U.S. policy in
Iraq by referring to the incorrect conduct of a few individuals. During times of war, the low instincts of
some have always come to the fore....
After a orderly trial before a military tribunal, the perpetrators will
have to atone for their crimes, since democrats do not tolerate such a
behavior. Unlike to Saddam's times, when
torture, rape, and murder were daily activities of the state."
"The Honor Of The Victims"
Caroline Fetscher opined in an editorial in centrist Der
Tagesspiegel of Berlin (5/2):
"In all debates over the Iraq war--over oil interests, WMD, lies
and mistakes in the post-war planning--human rights were the lowest common
denominator. Saddam's ouster ended a
regime of terror and state-approved torture.
This was the fortunate message in times of distress; and now the
pictures of liberators how they grinningly enjoy the torture of the
defenseless. Will they mean the end of
all arguments in this military intervention?
Or should we take a more balanced view?
It was only a few soldiers, and their behavior was atypical and
condemned by their superiors. If there
were a TV station called 'Amnesty International' which would have broadcast a
24-hour show from Saddam's Abu Ghreib or if it showed pictures of the misery of
thousands of women and girls in the Arab world, we would have no difficulty
putting them in the right proportion to Saddam's regime. We know this, but to settle old accounts and
open up new ones is neither an excuse nor an apology. A more serious damage to the democratic
message would not have been possible than the pictures that have now been
published. This is why the current
reactions are not enough.... They are
inappropriately weak, because they did not mention the victims but mainly
talked about the honor of the armed forces....
If Bush and Blair do not understand this, they will have lost the
struggle for the reputation and the ethos of democracy. This is what the struggle is all about."
"Shameful Pictures"
Bertram Eisenhauer noted in an editorial in center-right Frankfurter
Allgemeine (5/2): "The
revelations could not have come to a more unfavorable time, at a more unstable
situation. Americans and British will,
possibly with the assistance of other nations, have to support the future Iraqi
government for a long time. And they
cannot be replaced in the country when it comes to creating stability and
order. In order to achieve this goal,
they need the support of the Iraqis. But
many Iraqis will now see their assessment confirmed that the Americans are
undesired occupiers.... Those who come as
liberators will have credibility problems even if they make a mistake only in
one case."
"Human Right"
Center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine noted (5/3): "The pictures of the abuse of Iraqi
prisoners are crying out in accusation....
Apologies look useless in view of such scenes.... The soldiers...were allegedly not informed
over the Geneva Convention. But what
would this have changed? Is it necessary
to tell soldiers of a democratic state that prisoners are to be treated in a
human way? Those who want to use this
interpretation will now see themselves confirmed in their views on the U.S.
campaign and its occupation policy. But
there are no indications of widely-spread, systematic violations of human
rights. The excesses of a few do not
offer a new argument in the debate over the meaning and legitimacy of the
global anti-terror war. But the pictures
from Baghdad show the thin line that separates the rule of law from its
enemies--and which it has to draw to separate its from its enemies."
"Horror In the Name Of The Queen"
Christoph Schwennicke judged in an editorial in center-left Sueddeutsche
Zeitung of Munich (5/3): "These
pictures are a disgrace for the U.S. army and the British forces, a disgrace
for the United States and Great Britain....
But they will have their most devastating effect not with the BBC or CNN
but with Al Jazeera.... It confirms all
Arab clichés of a decadent godless West....
With their activities in Iraq, Great Britain and the United States have
even raised the opposition of moderate forces and forfeited their controversial
claim to lead. Iraq must be entrusted to
the UN's care and be put under the military control of NATO. And this as quickly as possible."
ITALY: "Another Blow For The White House"
Prominent foreign affairs commentator Vittorio Zucconi remarked in
left-leaning, influential La Repubblica (5/5): "The incredible stupidity, which can only be
explained by presumptuousness and a blind ideology of those who had mistaken
Baghdad for Paris and Fallujah for Florence, is the real cause of the 'horror
show' that we are watching and that will continue with other
revelations.... The 'rotten apples' that
tortured, and caused the death of the most sacred of enemies, the defenseless
prisoner of war...will certainly pay....
But if we were to restore the credibility of the American democracy, it
would not be enough to court-martial a dozen idiots in uniform or a woman
general who said she never set foot in the Abu Ghraib prison. Those who should pay are the ones who sent
those soldiers to those prisons, those who gave the orders to inflict abuse on
the enemy who has always been described as a terrorist...[and] therefore a
subhuman being."
"The Line Not To Be Crossed"
An editorial in elite, classical liberal daily Il Foglio
noted (5/4): "Not even the most
brutal abuses committed by a soldier of the coalition against Iraqi prisoners
could ever be likened to Saddam's regime and delegitimize the intervention that
removed him. When a political regime
makes violence the reason and instrument of its dominion, then free countries are
called to cut off its roots. When it's
single agents of democratic countries to cross the line of the necessary force
and of respect for life and human dignity, then it's a crime that must be
verified and rigorously punished."
"The Prisoners Tell Of Systematic Tortures"
Bruno Marolo opined in pro-democratic left party (DS) daily L'Unità
(5/4): "The U.S. would like to project
the image of a democracy that has the antibodies to eliminate the abuses. But daily revelations show the embarrassment
of a government that is trying to hide the truth.... Before invading Iraq the U.S. government had
announced its intentions to bring to trial the officials of Saddam's regime for
war crimes. In reality, it threw into
prison thousands of Iraqis without trial.
It doesn't want to punish them, but only to force them into talking so
as to crush the revolt.... The America
that claims it wants to bring democracy to the Arab world is acting like a
colonial power."
"The Antibodies Of Horror"
Angelo Panebianco commented in centrist, top-circulation Corriere
della Sera (5/1): "The incident
regarding abuses by some U.S. soldiers on Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib
prison camp has greatly damaged the image of the Anglo-American coalition. Just as war operations were in their most
difficult period (for Westerners) after Saddam Hussein's fall, the terrorists
have obtained a propaganda victory....
It is sacrosanct to demand that the culprits be dealt with and that such
things occur no more. Having said that,
however, we must also observe that there is a good dose of hypocrisy in the
reactions of both the Arab world...and the Western world that used this
regrettable incident as yet another pretense to manifest its hostility towards
the U.S. These kinds of things happen in
all wars and even soldiers from democratic countries can commit reprehensible
acts. The difference between democracies
and tyrannies is that democracies have the political and judicial antibodies to
cure the infection when their soldiers commit a wrongdoing.... The fact remains that too many mistakes were
made in the Iraqi game. This is another
reason why a rapid and exemplary punishment is necessary for the Abu Ghraib
incident."
"I, A Pro-American, Against America"
Paolo Guzzanti remarked in pro-government, leading center-right
daily Il Giornale (5/1): "This is
the first time that I write an article against America, and I very much hope it
will be the last. But the story
regarding the Iraqi prisoners, who were tortured, humiliated, used like
urinals...is horrible and I don't want to just forget about it.... We did not expect this from the U.S. Army
engaged in a military action...and now serious consequences must follow this
very serious incident.... Such a harsh
and disgusted condemnation can only come from someone who is a friend of the
U.S. and who is convinced that that country has always been the bulwark against
tyranny; the only one who liberated us, along with the Britons, from Nazi
fascism...and that later prevented Western Europe from ending up like Poland or
Czechoslovakia.... We believe that this
horrific chapter of torture in Iraq must not be cast aside, because it's a
chapter of dishonor that all of us are part of.
Therefore, we hope that the great American nation will be able to show
us new proof of their greatest quality:
a clear and strong response to injustice, especially when this injustice
derives from deep inside itself."
"America Asks For Justice To Re-Conquer Honor"
Gianni Riotta noted in centrist, top-circulation Corriere della
Sera (5/1): "The Pentagon's
resentment is worsened by the absurdity of the incident. This was not about torture, but about
sadistic humiliation inflicted on harmless prisoners. It was not about gaining information that
would thwart a terrorist attack. It was
almost a game on the part of soldiers who became drunken thugs.... The fact that the scandal came out in the
open and that the culprits will be brought to trial and punished demonstrates
how hypocritical it is to talk about a 'machine of fascist consensus' or of a 'military
junta' when it comes to U.S. public opinion.
With the diplomatic impasse entrusted to the UN and with the setback in
military operations in Fallujah, it will be hard to find consensus and moral
legitimacy for Baghdad.... An exemplary
trial for the Abu Ghraib thugs is not only positive, it's indispensable."
RUSSIA: "Usual
Sadism"
Vissarion Sisnev, Washington correspondent of the centrist daily Trud
opined (5/5): "The country's top
leaders, including President Bush, have voiced their indignation at the
criminal 'games' by Abu Ghraib guards.
They will certainly be punished.
But the loss sustained by America is irreparable. Islamic propaganda has long branded the
members of the coalition as having started a war in Iraq as 'crusaders' knowing
no mercy and hating Muslims. Pictures
taken in jail have been published in all Arab nations...and they can tell
rank-and-file people one thing only: the
United States is a cynical and hypocritical invader having no respect for the
people it allegedly wants to liberate."
AUSTRIA: "Torture
Generates Hate And Fear"
Deputy chief editor Victor Hermann commented in
independent provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichten (5/3): "As the only remaining superpower, the
U.S. likes to pass off as the global policeman that topples tyrants, rids the
world of criminal regimes and promotes the rule of law and human rights. Instead of actually doing so, however,
America is playing into the hands of terrorists by relying on a completely
wrong policy.... With their abuse of prisoners
in Iraq, the U.S. and British troops have lost their chance at winning the
hearts and minds of those people in the country who would otherwise have been
grateful for the ousting of mass-murderer Saddam Hussein. Now, many of them probably fear and hate the
occupying powers more than ever."
"Gigantic Damage"
Foreign affairs writer Christoph Winder wrote in
liberal daily Der Standard (5/3):
"George Bush and Tony Blair have condemned [the abuse of Iraqi
prisoners], but the reassuring effect their move is going to have will most
likely be limited. Even if only a small
minority of the military was actually responsible, such acts will further the
general view that the occupying powers in Iraq are only too ready to approve of
and resort to a racially motivated use of force.... No doubt, heads are going to roll in the U.S.
and British armies in the near future....
The massive damage the recent events have done to the troops' image can
perhaps be contained to some extent. To
repair it entirely, however, is no longer possible."
BELGIUM:
"Vietnam-Iraq: Same Images,
Same Damage"
Left-of-center Le Soir commented
(5/5): "After the publication of
images of Iraqi prisoners being tortured and of coffins of fallen GIs, the
United States has lost the war of images.
These recent images remind people of other images, those from
Vietnam. George W. Bush has done his
utmost to avoid people making any comparison between the two, but there is
nothing he can do against images that are deeply rooted in people's mind. Although his Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld announced that the six U.S. soldiers who tortured Iraqi prisoners
would be sanctioned, the damage has been done."
CROATIA: "Triumph And
Dusk Of Democracy"
Jurica Korbler wrote
in Zagreb-based government-owned Vjesnik (5/4): "It is now completely clear why Americans
have persistently requested that their soldiers not be brought before the
International War Crimes Tribunal. The
avalanche in that case could, based on the commanding responsibility principle,
lead to the very leadership at the Pentagon, if not to the White House
itself. The most powerful world power
simply cannot afford it. However,
justice is a universal category, and the only point is that same rules apply to
everyone. Otherwise, there can be no
democracy, no truth, no future. Full
truth about Iraq is necessary so that atrocities which are happening now can be
avoided in the future in that tormented country, and so that the proclaimed
triumph of democracy which was to happen with the arrival of allies does not
turn into the dusk of democracy."
"Criminals, Even (If They Are) Heroes"
Inoslav Besker commented in Zagreb-based mass-circulation Jutarnji
list (5/4): "The military has, this
time, been faster than journalists and has initiated not just an investigation,
but criminal procedure before military court, even before the information had
reached journalists. It had, maybe, even
believed that everything would remain covered up, at least outside of
Iraq. In the disgusting story about
tortures which American soldiers subjected Iraqi prisoners to, that, in a way,
is good news.... That's one of the
results of NATO's London Protocol, which allows every member to put its
soldiers on trial--thus Americans, the most numerous and the most powerful, and
frequently also the most 'prankish,' can count on their colleagues'
benevolence. That's exactly the reason
why the United States of America is refusing to recognize the International
Criminal Court. Which, for horrors
committed in Iraq, can now incriminate Tony Blair, but not George W. Bush."
CZECH REPUBLIC:
"Maltreatment Of Prisoners -- Another Iraqi Headache"
Petr Pravda wrote in mainstream MF Dnes (5/5): "The U.S. and the British militaries
must solidly investigate the incidents of maltreatment of prisoners in Iraq and
must apologize properly for these crimes.
Even at a price that more dirt will come to light. If the crimes are trivialized or swept under
the carpet, there will be no chance for redress."
HUNGARY: "There Is No
Excuse"
Laszlo Seres opined in leading Nepszabadsag (5/4): "The mission is far from over.... In hopes of a new Vietnam, the armed Iraqi
guerilla fighters (and their fellow terrorists, who are fighting in several other counties) have only one
chance to successfully prolong the war, to crush the Americans and the Brits
morally. [They can prolong the war] if
they manage to prove that the 'occupiers' are nothing better than Saddam or the
rest of the world. They are neither more
democratic or better, nor they have higher moral standards. At the moment there
is a chance that the world believes them. There is no excuse for torturing and
humiliating people, regardless whether a war is going on or not, and whether
the charge [of torturing] is proved on twenty or on one single account. And it can't be an excuse either that it is about
wicked armed fighters. And it can't be an
excuse either that it is nothing compared to Saddam's
standards. And it can't be an excuse
that the 'line of command' collapsed because how will the Americans transfer Iraq to the Iraqis if
they are unable to keep order within their own shop? This whole issue, that
makes the anti-terrorist look like terrorists, couldn't have come at a worst
time [for the coalition]. A fight on many fronts has begun.... But a military response is not enough: one
ought to be different [from the terrorist] morally."
IRELAND: "Horror And
Disgust Are Not Enough: They've Lost The
War"
Stephen Dodd wrote in the center-right populist weekly Sunday
Independent (5/2): "Had Saddam
Hussein dreamed it up himself, it would be hard to conceive of a greater public
relations disaster than that faced by America and Britain in Iraq last week.... The reactions from the U.S. president and
British PM are no less than the world might expect of the two coalition leaders
who have set out their stalls for war on a heartfelt, if confused, pledge to
replace abhorrence with essential decency....
Two leaders professed shock, and it would have been the wholly rational
reaction to believe them. Wholly rational, but wrong. George W Bush and Tony Blair have known about
accusations of widespread torture, carried out by American and British troops
in Iraq, for many weeks. In fact, far from being a horrific secret suddenly
laid bare, the knowledge has been available to us all. In March, Amnesty International's report on
human rights abuses in Iraq, a year after the Coalition invasion, received
scant attention in the media.... Though
there is shock around the world, America itself is experiencing a degree of
difficulty in approaching the subject. It is claimed CBS agreed to a White
House request to delay broadcast of pictures.... Few American newspapers had the stomach to
treat the story as front-page news....
Last week, America and Britain lost the war in Iraq. Though they might
still succeed in subduing the country, their undisciplined soldiers have
forfeited on behalf of their countries all moral right to wage a war of
professed decency."
NORWAY: "Torture
Confirms Failure In Iraq"
Newspaper-of-record Aftenposten commented (5/4): "We are witnessing a conflict that is
escalating and increasing in brutality, both on the battlefield and
elsewhere.... This is exactly why so
many warned the current U.S. President and his advisors about entering into an
armed conflict.... At the same time
there can be no doubt that the need to disable and disarm militant and armed
and aggressive Muslim terrorists is as important as before... Today the
positive signals from and around Iraq are few, but there is one bright spot we
should not overlook: the freedom of speech and the freedom of press in two open
and democratic societies like the American and the British, which have made the
reports of torture known - in the middle of a war. And there also lies the hope
of other solutions in Iraq at the end of the day."
"Without Hearts And Minds"
Line Franssen held in independent Dagbladet
(5/4): "The abuses in the Abu
Ghraib prison are the greatest victory of all for the terrorist Osama bin
Laden. Images of humiliated Iraqi POWs have further set fire to the burning
hate against the U.S. in the Middle East. Terrorists will use the pictures for
whatever they're worth. The queues to become a suicide bomber or a terrorist
are getting longer and longer."
"The True Face Of The Iraqi War"
The social democratic Dagsavisen noted (5/3): "On Saturday it was one year ago since
the Americans declared the invasion of Iraq as ended.... The injustice and abuse that is to have been
conducted by U.S. and UK troops should not surprise us. It is the true face of war that now is making
its appearance. War is cruelty.... The disclosure of sadistic abuse of POWs is a
catastrophe for the U.S. propaganda war, and a gift to the international
enemies of the U.S. and for the president's internal enemies within the
U.S."
PORTUGAL: "In the
Heart Of Darkness"
Leftist author and journalist João Paulo Guerra opined in leading
financial daily Diário Economico (5/5):
"The occupying armies of Iraq are, indeed, going to take harsh
measures to avoid the repetition of such incidents. That is, to avoid that cases of abuse against
prisoners be known and denounced.... No
one with common sense believes that the incidents of torture and other
degrading treatment of prisoners in the concentration camp of Abu Ghraib, in
Baghdad, will have been an isolated. The
issue is that there are still concentration camps. Inside, the worst imaginable--or even which
could be possibly reported--is always way less than the reality itself. Does anyone know what happens beyond the
barbed wire in Guantanamo? We only know
that there are no cameras and no information leaks. Maybe, someday, there will be a book or a
film (on this subject)."
ROMANIA: "Torture
Scandal"
Oana Popescu commented in the respected daily Adevarul
(5/4): "The proportions that the torture
photos scandal has reached, after the release of images showing American
soldiers torturing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners, and images showing British
soldiers doing the same, has stirred a wave of anger in the entire world and
could seriously undermine the coalition's efforts to stabilize Iraq, and to let
Iraqis govern by themselves starting June 30.
For the Bush administration, the situation is all the more embarrassing,
as it happened before the elections, after the president and his advisers
had already been accused of lying about
Saddam's WMD, and more recently, that they had neglected the al-Qaida threat
before 9/11."
"Damage To Credibility Of Coalition"
Foreign policy analyst Madalina Mitan wrote in financial daily Curentul
(5/3): "The credibility of the coalition
in Iraq has been seriously damaged by the release of some photos of Iraqi
prisoners being tortured by American and British troops. The 'bomb' was launched by CBS, which
presented pictures of naked Iraqi prisoners, and the British daily, The
Mirror published other images of the tortures to which the Iraqis were
subjected. The American president,
George W. Bush, expressed his profound 'disgust' and ensured that torturing
prisoners 'does not reflect the nature of the American nation'."
SPAIN: "Terrifying
Images"
José Antich observed in centrist La Vanguardia (5/4): "The governments of the U.S. and the UK
are only trying to hide what is already an international scandal which has done
away with any sort of protocol for conduct in war. What started as a war that would overthrow
Saddam...emerges now as a conflict where basic human rights violations have
taken place. This demands that
commissions of investigation are created to urgently study the emerging
information and assign responsibility.
Public opinion has the right to know that these acts will not be let go
with impunity and citizens of Islamic countries should know that in Western
societies the guilty will be punished.
Never protected."
"The Truth Will Out"
Lluis Foix wrote in centrist La Vanguardia (5/4): "Bush and his allies have convoked the
perversity of the Saddam Hussein regime to justify the war. There is no doubt about the barbarity
committed by the fallen regime.... But
there is no photographic evidence of [Saddam's] brutalities, or television
images. With the atrocities committed by
the soldiers of the coalition troops, yes, we have these horrible images. One can accept that this is the work of a
very small number of soldiers and that they will be punished. But the damage is done and the cause of the
resistance has won another justification to keep fighting and it is being
broadcast by all the media."
"Military Tortures"
Centrist La Vanguardia contended (5/2): "It's clear that these incidents are a
serious violation of international agreements about the treatment of prisoners,
as well as a blow to the most basic human rights. The George Bush administration...should know
this, but the timid statements of the U.S. president in which he says that he
'doesn't like these things at all', are too mild. In Guantanamo hundreds of Islamic citizens
[sic] are being held outside of any international legal control. If now Washington and London want to clean up
their image, their only resort is a policy of complete open doors and
transparency and without limits to information.
But this won't happen."
"The West Has Been Humiliated"
Conservative La Razon concluded (5/2): "The authors of these despicable acts
have not only degraded Iraqi prisoners; the humiliation has been suffered by
the values of freedom and democracy that, theoretically, the forces of the West
represent and defend. The Iraqis that
were treated as if they weren't part of the human race haven't had their honor
stained. On the contrary, we, as members
of a community that believes in freedom and universal rights, are the ones
dishonored."
"Crimes Without Excuse"
Conservative ABC noted (5/2): "Only a forceful response from London
and Washington can limit the effects (of the tortures).... Only justice will effectively combat the
demagogy that these abuses of power is feeding.... But it is necessary that these sentiments
result in sentences for the authors of these crimes. This is the only possible result. If not, Bush and Blair's moral authority will
be put seriously in question."
"When The Tortures Are Not Committed By Saddam"
Independt El Mundo commented (5/1): "Bush and Blair will have many problems
to mitigate the impact of the images on their own public opinions, all the time
more critical of the management of the post war. This is not to mention the reaction of the
Iraqis themselves, for whom the photos are confirmation that the real objective
of the occupation wasn't to free them from Saddam's yoke, but to subjugate them
to the allies'.
TURKEY: "Looking For
America"
Oktay Eksi opined in mass-appeal Hurriyet (5/4): "Let's be honest first of all: there is no way to interpret the awful
pictures from Iraq as isolated incidents.
Thanks to George W. Bush, the U.S. has lost its sense of values on human
rights and the supremacy of law. Thus
the current picture is only a reflection of current American values. If George Bush is sincere enough, the
solution to this problem is simple: he
should follow the example of General Patton, who was discharged from the U.S.
army [sic] for slapping an American soldier....
Turkey has taken its share of U.S. abuse, as we still remember how
Turkish soldiers were treated during a raid in northern Iraq on July 4, 2003. Americans are very wrong if they believe that
such memories can be forgotten.
