Although Obama’s decision seems to conflict with his stated commitment to improve the way the United States handles terrorists, it contains some wisdom. The release of the photos would possibly fuel hatred against the United States in Muslim countries.
Taking Indonesia as a case in point, should the photos be released, the images would certainly be used by Indonesian radical groups as propaganda and recruitment material.
Radical leaders and recruiters would use the photos to reinforce claims that America is hypocritical — that Americans boast about being defenders of human rights, yet they are the very ones violating these rights — and that America is the real terrorist committing barbaric actions by torturing Muslim fighters in prisons.
One can easily picture these leaders sitting in small Sunday gatherings in the corners of mosques or in radical members’ houses, passing the photos around and saying, “Look, this is what they have done to our brothers, and therefore it’s our duty to kill them.” Other radical members of the group would respond in agreement, shouting: Allahu Akbar!
New recruits would begin to think they are pursuing the right and noble path, joining a group of Muslim heroes.
Radicals would also print poster-size photos of American officers torturing Muslims and stick them on the walls of mosques or on trees in training grounds. They would use them as targets for shooting or knife-throwing practice, something they feel is important in order to actualize their hatred against the United States and begin their real jihad.
Some people wave off the above scenario and insist the photos should be released, arguing in favor of accountability. They fear that failure to release the photos may allow much to remain uncovered, easily swept under the carpet.
The American government must be wise in this matter. Several things can be done to ensure that these fears are not realized, even if the photos are not released.
First, the government needs to set up an independent and accountable commission to investigate the use of torture in American-controlled prisons. Commission members must be allowed to view the images. To improve the credibility of the commission and its findings, the government should consider involving respected figures from the Muslim world. The commission’s findings should then be used as a basis for bringing those individuals that authorized or allowed the use of torture to justice. These people should, first and foremost, be held responsible instead of field officers directly involved in torturing, as the officers carried out orders from superiors.
One must bear in mind that these vague orders were given to American soldiers who were only trained in standard military interrogation techniques, who were in hostile environments, who watched fellow Americans lose their lives and who had little cultural or religious understanding.
Third, the findings and trials need to be announced. The names of any politicians found to have condoned the use of torture should be publicized.
This is a must to ensure American voters can make informed decisions about who they want to place in power. In this way, the voters are responsible for punishing politicians as they see fit.
President Obama and other key American figures need to publicly apologize and condemn the use of torture. This apology is one more step toward earning the respect of the Muslim world and toward weakening the power of radical propaganda. American security agencies need to improve their interrogation techniques by investigating approaches involving use of roleplay, psychology, culture, ideology and family.
Practical experiences show that these techniques can be much more effective in extracting accurate information. This requires special training to deal specifically with the terrorist mind-set and the intricacies of Islamic religion and culture. To prevent the future use of torture, the American government needs to be involved in setting clear rules and definitions of what actually constitutes torture. A further step would be to encourage clarification and, if necessary, the amendment of the international convention against torture.
It is imperative that this be clarified, and that America disavows torture in all circumstances if it is to win hearts and minds — and if it is to prove to the world that it upholds the morals the West is so often criticized for lacking.
Rebecca Lunnon is a postgraduate student at Monash University and Muh Taufiqurrohman holds a master’s in international relations.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/us-torture-photos-could-spark-outrage-in-the-muslim-world/276565
Lets hear this American George Carlin talking about what American People really like!
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