A friend from India came by today and found me depressed by the horrible events and activities that have come to light in Iraq. He said that, in the long run, it shows the strengths of open societies that what happens on a regular basis and in much worse ways in every closed society has been brought to light. That’s true, but hardly enough to lift my spirits, because in the near and medium term it means a lot of people will be (quite rightly) shocked and outraged by the inability of the U.S. military to control some of their members. And that means that other members of the military and their allies in the coalition and in the Iraqi police and civil defense forces will be killed. It means that the idea of democracy and non-dictatorial government has been poisoned in the middle east. It will be much harder to promote such ideals and much easier for our enemies to promote theirs. The crimes committed by a small number of U.S. military personnel may cost the people of Iraq for many, many years.
On January 19 of this year Lieutenat General Ricardo Sanchez, senior U.S. military officer in Iraq, ordered an investigation into reports of abuse of prisoners in Iraq. The report was prepared by Major General Antonio M. Taguba. It’s worth reading.
Only you, as far as I have read, has expressed the thought that this may “cost the people of Iraq for many, many years.” It’s perhaps natural to you, but rare enough, even among Libertarians, to merit the highest praise. It shows concern for Liberty on the scale of the entire world. It is like a breath of fresh air in comparison to statements which see only the damage done to American interests. That type of sympathy, expressed, will perhaps save lives, both Iraqi and American.