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The American's arent really any worse than Saddam Hussain and his mob I suppose, and this was always understood by the Iraqi's, I think these things don't shock them because they always knew... they shock American civilians because some peopel genuinely believed that this was a moral war and that this was about the liberation of Iraq. It must be hard to carry on all the "I support our troops" stuff if you see them as torturers rather than liberators.
I think it is important to understand there are many soldiers who have not committed war crimes in Iraq, but I think we do understand that while the torturers may be a minority, they were allowed to carry on doing these things by a majority that turned away, didnt look, didnt stop them... even if the acts of toture were abhorent to the majority of soldiers, there is also a responsibility to do something other than look away in shame or disgust when confronted by this.
But I do feel we have to have some perspective... the percentage of American troops who have committed war crimes could be as low as 5%, even 2%... it is not all American soldiers who are like this... every society, Western or Eastern, contains people who are monsterous, and when they are given the chance they will drink blood.
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"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."
The Gospel of Thomas
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