Osama Bin Laden Ethical Issues

The Abu Ghraib torture scandal left a large blemish on the occupation of Iraq and George Bush’s War on terror. As stories of the torture happening in the Abu Ghraib prison began circulating, American citizens had trouble comprehending the acts of evil their soldiers had committed on Iraqis. Some began to see a correlation between Abu Ghraib and the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. Though the guards in both situations were brutal to their captives, distinct differences lay in the severity of their actions. Abu Ghraib’s guards were much more vicious to their captives, and this can be attributed to the prejudices the guards felt against their captors, the environment, and the lack of training, compounded with a lack of accountability in the leadership.

Abu Ghraib Prison was a cruel and inhumane form of torture that occurred during the famous era of Saddam Hussein. Twenty miles west of Baghdad, Abu Ghraib stood as the most infamous prisons the world has ever seen. There was reported weekly executions, daily torture and barbarous living conditions. As many as fifty thousand men and women were crammed into Abu Ghraib at once. During the war against Iraq, The United States Army took over the prison and committed extenuous human rights violations against the prisoners. Detainees were raped, beaten, stripped, deprived of food and sleep, hung by their wrists and threatened with death all under American control. A famous picture taken at Abu Ghraib depicts an Iraqi standing on a box, in a scarecrow-like

Guantanamo Bay in Cuba houses some of the most dangerous people. The people being held have ranged in committing various crimes. What makes Guantanamo Bay well known is how the time period a detainee has spent in prison without a trial. While in prison for an extensive period of time, a detainee is bound to receive discipline for not following the guards. There are often a variety of different methods that the guards use to teach discipline to the detainees. All who follow Guantanamo Bay as institution often criticizes the measures taken. What makes Guantanamo Bay an ironic place to start this journey is because Guantanamo Bay is at the center of attention to a very important, controversial law passed in 2006. The controversial law was

The author, Melissa Mae, explains the issue, along with the opposing sides, clearly. Mae begins the essay by introducing the issue. She says the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib gained attention around 2004. Americans became concerned when they found out the government was using torture and were extremely upset about it. She states that people believed torture was being used as a part of the government’s “interrogation of war-on-terror detainees.” Though she tells the readers what the issue is, she never fully explains it. She only tells us that the essays she wrote about were written around the time the debate was heating up. A positive trait about this essay is that she stated the issue in the first paragraph.

The administration of George W. Bush was not loyal. They attempted to portray the abuse as isolated incidents. They tried not to make it indicative of general U.S. policy. It was a challenge for organizations such as Red Cross, and Human Rights Watch. According to the article from Wikipedia, “After multiple investigations, these organizations stated that the abuses at Abu Ghraib were not isolated incidents, but were part of a wider pattern of torture and brutal treatment at American overseas detention centers, including those in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay.” The author of the article at Washington times stated that “The Abu Ghraib scandal exploded in

Imagine suddenly waking up to find yourself in a small cell, handcuffed and chained to the wall by your ankle. The only thing in your room is a hard mattress and a bucket. A continuous white noise is blared over the speakers. Night and day no longer exists, only the florescent bulb that never goes out. The only people you ever see are the masked guards that drag you off for interrogation. Imagine that goes on for nineteen months. Difficult to picture, right? That’s how it was for Mohamed Bashmilah. Black-site torture is an ongoing injustice in which innocent people are subjected to unimaginable torture. Many people have been illegally abducted by the government for the smallest of reasons. Reasons that can be as simple

As part of the “war on terror,” the US began a revolutionary practice of holding "enemies" in military detention without charge and without according them basic rights. Guantanamo Bay is a notorious United States military prison, known for the frequent mistreatment of its inmates. Hundreds of people have gone in and out of GTMO, but none were afforded the rights granted to regular American prisoners. These inmates have spent years holed up in a secretive compound, where some aren't even cognizant of the charges against them. Furthermore, these detainees have reported incidents of abuse and torture, direct violations of the eighth amendment. Bush appointed officials, like Susan Crawford, have conceded that torture occurred at GTMO, validating claims made by those imprisoned. This controversial detention center is infamous internationally, as a 2005 Amnesty International report called the facility the "Gulag of our times.” The U.S. government opened this base as a holding center for the “world’s most dangerous criminals,” and perpetuates its existence to ensure national security. Guantanamo Bay may not seem relevant to most Americans, but its existence is a blatant violation of the Constitution, and foreshadows more encroachment upon the personal liberties enjoyed by

Contrary to popular opinion claiming it to be righteous retribution for his acts of radical Islamist terror, the assassination of Osama bin Laden by the US government was unjustified because it was illegal under international law, morally wrong, and detrimental to national security.

What happened at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq can only be described as war crimes. The torture of prisoners under American control includes being beaten, stripped, shocked, and starved of food among many other cruelties. In spite of the overwhelming proof of crimes, many of those involved were only charged with abuse of prisoners not of war crimes. Of those involved, only the lower to mid-level personnel were charged. The overseer of the prison, General Janis Karpinski, was only relieved of her command. Other top level personnel within the army were cleared of all wrongdoing.

This source is informative and tries to provide a direct account of the President Bush scandal around Guantanamo Bay and how it impacted his presidency. The author shares his personal account and involvement in this book on the treatment of prisoners and people involved who tried to cover it up. It was later exposed and many people were terminated from their employment. The source doesn’t express affiliation with any organizations or

Abu Ghraib is a prison that is located in the Iraqi city. Late 2002, the U.S military took control over the prison which housed many Muslim prisoners. Abu Ghraib incident is notorious for all of the abuse that took place and what the U.S had done to the Muslims. Regardless whether or not the prisoners were “innocent” it is still unethical for one to commit such a heinous crime.

Guantanamo Bay, though started with good intentions, only highlights America’s negative side. Marine Major General Michael Lehnert, who played a significant role in the opening of Guantanamo, has drastically changed his opinion and said that it, “Validates every negative perception of the U.S.” (Sutton 1). One example of this occurred in 2006, when President Bush justified the use of “physical coercion” (torture) during interrogations (Fetini 1). Some of these torture methods include isolation, beatings, sleep deprivation, and general abuse. Other tactics such as disrespect for Islamic symbols or sexual provocation are used to encourage stress in detainees (Bloche 1). These immoral methods led to an international outcry. It was later remarked that the Cuban territory upon which Guantanamo is located is being used as a “concentration camp” of sorts (Fetini 1). Guantanamo and its unethical values are being recognized by nations around the world, displaying America in a bad light.

In the United States, one of the major methods in obtaining crucial information has been through the use of Guantanamo Bay. While many have condemned of the torture that is believed to occur there, not only does Guantanamo Bay comply with national and international standards, but it also complies with Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions (Meese 1) which states

“President Bush described his holy war against the so-called terrorism as a war between the civilized and barbaric world. But his government committed more barbaric acts than the terrorists themselves. I can name tons of war crimes that Bush’s government is involved in.” (Mohamedou Ould Slahi, pg 46) Mohamedou Ould Slahi said this when he was in the Guantanamo Bay Camps. His tragic experience was later written and published as the novel known as Guantánamo Diary. The issue of Guantanamo Bay is a complex one. What it is about is the United States violated the human rights of the people taken into the camps. They took them in, held them prisoners, and tortured them. (Wikipedia, Guantanamo Bay detention camp, par 1) This is a violation of

America has dealt with many situations the wrong way, for example, the encounter with the Native Americans. What has America done wrong in regards to terrorism and terror suspects, and how can we as a country change it for the better and still be aggressive in keeping terror out of our country? The Geneva Convention rules were put into place to protect prisoners of war, soldiers, and civilians. It describes in full detail how these people should be treated and how our country should deal with civilians, soldiers, and prisoners of war in all different aspects. But, months after the tragic event of September 11, 2001, the president, George Bush declared that members of the al-Qaeda and others were not entitled to the formal protections of the Geneva Convention (Washington Post). Who protects the detainees from inhumane treatment, abuse, and other vicious and cruel treatment? America in its entirety should accept accountability for the repetitive acts of inhumane cruelty and torture towards the detainees. They need to redirect that aggression and focus it towards finding effective non-life threating ways to protect. The punishment should ultimately fit the crime as long as the punished is the actual threat to our nation.