NationStates Jolt Archive

It has been in the news for a couple of days, but today 8 US soldiers have been charged with the kidnapping and execution of an Iraqi man who allegedly refused to become an informant. It all gets pretty fishy round about the point a $10,000 bribe is involved (the larceny charge?), and the involvement of at least one member of medical personnel - WTF. And of course the usual AK and shovel trick which returning servicemen have been complaining about for months. I am sure a disabled veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war (where incidentally he fought on America's behalf) had lots of information to give about who was planting roadside bombs in the area. :rolleyes:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/21/hamdaniya/index.html

In other news, four US paratroopers were charged with the murder of three detainees - the charges mention the crimes were "premeditated" - contrast this with the apparently spontaneous nature of the Haditha massacre.

This sort of behaviour is hardly surprising, the relevant characteristic here being not that the army involved is American, but that the army involved is waging a counterinsurgency. Whatever morals men may bring, are quickly forgotten once they begin to fight certain kinds of war. No-one is that special.

We see this in Chechnya, where war crimes charges against Russian soldiers are routine, and so for the most part are acquittals. It remains to be seen whether the US military justice processes live up to the claims made for them.

oh boy, you caught 8, who will get off easily

thats nothing compared to how many soldiers kill civillians, accidentally or not

I'm thinking of writing a paper on why US troops commit these acts, going from Vietnam through to Iraq. I think it could be quite interested.

And before I get flamed to high heaven, this is not flamebait. I'm just stating that these incidents have confirmed my thesis and lead me to believe I can write a paper on why US troops do this more than others. What the reasons are for it; I feel much of it has to do with the unique place the United States holds in the international community, and how relatively young its military is.

Well, if you consider that the US conducts more armed interventions than all the countries in the world, and its army has the least experience of policing civilian populations of any major country in the world, then it is hardly surprising.

Having said that, it does have strong competition from Russia in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

But really I believe it is the nature of the conflict, not the culture of the participants, that guides the erosion of ethics.

Well, if you consider that the US conducts more armed interventions than all the countries in the world, and its army has the least experience of policing civilian populations of any major country in the world, then it is hardly surprising.

Having said that, it does have strong competition from Russia in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Yarr. I also consider the style of soldier to be different - 'Citizen-Soldier' as Ambrose ut it.

I'm thinking of writing a paper on why US troops commit these acts, going from Vietnam through to Iraq. I think it could be quite interested.

And before I get flamed to high heaven, this is not flamebait. I'm just stating that these incidents have confirmed my thesis and lead me to believe I can write a paper on why US troops do this more than others. What the reasons are for it; I feel much of it has to do with the unique place the United States holds in the international community, and how relatively young its military is.

By the age of 5 an American child has seen something like 100000000000000000000000000 murders on tv. Pulling a trigger is as easy as changing a channel if tv ate your soul when you were 5.

I'm thinking of writing a paper on why US troops commit these acts, going from Vietnam through to Iraq. I think it could be quite interested.

And before I get flamed to high heaven, this is not flamebait. I'm just stating that these incidents have confirmed my thesis and lead me to believe I can write a paper on why US troops do this more than others. What the reasons are for it; I feel much of it has to do with the unique place the United States holds in the international community, and how relatively young its military is.

Also consider the fact that the soldiers don't know why they are there (and they want to feel like they have done something purposeful). An author and former soldier in Vietnam, Tim O'Brien, talks about the fact that they never actually found any of the enemy, they usually just went about ordering air raids on villages.

By the age of 5 an American child has seen something like 100000000000000000000000000 murders on tv. Pulling a trigger is as easy as changing a channel if tv ate your soul when you were 5.

Source.

One hundred septillion is an awful large number to pull out of your... um... hat.