After watching this documentary I was shocked to see the treatment of these prisoners. It reminds me of the first book we read which talked about the the idea that it is hard for people to picture the horrors of war when it is so far away. Although I have heard of similar acts, it is quite different to see the horror first-hand. What I also find quite interesting is how only a few people actually questioned the morality of these inhumane torture techniques. The few who did question this, however, did very little to challenge this treatment.
Besides blaming the prison guards, the government is also to blame because of their ambiguity of what forms of torture are appropriate. I understand the confusion since Iraq was not a part of the torture agreement during war, which makes anything fair game. But isn't American supposed to be advocates of human rights and dignities?
This documentary gave a very insightful look through the eyes of both prisoners and guards in order to show a clear picture of how this came about through certain policies and events. Much of these torture techniques were put into place after 9/11; which was a time of chaos and fear. The biggest question that comes up is if there are other places that partake in this action under American guards and soldiers. Maybe Abu Ghraib is the only place noticed for partaking in these actions because there are pictures and videos to prove the devastation. It leaves us to ponder the idea of how would we handle such a situation.
Besides blaming the prison guards, the government is also to blame because of their ambiguity of what forms of torture are appropriate. I understand the confusion since Iraq was not a part of the torture agreement during war, which makes anything fair game. But isn't American supposed to be advocates of human rights and dignities?
This documentary gave a very insightful look through the eyes of both prisoners and guards in order to show a clear picture of how this came about through certain policies and events. Much of these torture techniques were put into place after 9/11; which was a time of chaos and fear. The biggest question that comes up is if there are other places that partake in this action under American guards and soldiers. Maybe Abu Ghraib is the only place noticed for partaking in these actions because there are pictures and videos to prove the devastation. It leaves us to ponder the idea of how would we handle such a situation.
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