10,000 Iraqis in detention
AFP quotes joint chief of staff General Babakir Zebari as saying "We have 10,000 of them [Iraqis] in detention."
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Also today, Michael Scheuer, a former CIA analyst who helped set up the rendition program during the Clinton administration, will be quoted as saying
"They don't have the same legal system we have. But we know that going into it. It's finding someone else to do your dirty work."
posted by elendil at 10:16 pm
4 Comments:
Well researched, although very sad to read through. What I don't understand is why are the american soldiers who went to Iraq to give the Iraqis freedom, are now involved in such deeds. I guess being exposed to a war takes all that is human from a person
This out-sourcing of prison industry is I assume having someone else do your "dirty work." How else would American democracy deal with its contradictions and its failures?
You have a very useful and interesting weblog. Thanks for letting me know about it.
Sima
Hey Omar, I'm glad you liked it. As to your question, maybe some of those American soldiers never came to give Iraqis freedom to begin with? The Admin sure didn't. After all, the reasoning behind doing this tends to be one of self-interest. Usually apologists for torture will give a hypothetical like "if a bomb was going to go off somewhere, and we could get the info out of someone by torturing them ..." That's not about spreading freedom. That's about fear and covering all of your bases. That is about reckoning that denying many potentially innocent men and women their freedom will be worth it if it serves your good in the long run.
Hi Sima, yes, they're referring to outsourcing, although they use the (slightly obscure) word "rendition". The entire war on terror has been full of contradictions, but this is truly one of the highlights. I find it ironic that on one hand, the Bush Administration was so moved by what was happening in a far-off land called Iraq that it had no choice but to invade and liberate its citizens, yet on the other hand, what happens in Uzbekistan to its own detainees is not its problem.
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I would like to get this blog a bit of Google-presence, as I think (not to give myself a wrap here) that it would provide a useful starting point for someone who wanted to research this. You're welcome to link to it ;-)
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