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(Note: Today's PINR follows a slightly different format from past PINRs, as it is a psychological analysis of the abuse which took place at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The author, Dr. Michael A. Weinstein, is a political scientist at the U.S.-based Purdue University) If we want to understand what happened at Abu Ghraib prison, it would be well to address the events and evidence as products of a social relation between those who act and those who are acted upon: agents and patients. What happened at Abu Ghraib? Was it torture? Aggressive interrogation? Production of pornography? All of those apply, but none of them is sufficient to grasp the events as a coherent whole. What happened at Abu Ghraib was impunity. The term "impunity" became current at the end of the last century to describe the behavior of right-wing government forces and their supporting militia in the civil wars of Central America-Guatemala and El Salvador. It means acting towards a person under one's control according to one's arbitrary will. Impunity means that there are no legal or moral limits felt by agents on their wills and no consideration given by agents to the patients' wills. Impunity is the most extreme form of domination, in which the patient's will is entirely erased and the agent's will is triumphal. For the agent, impunity is intoxication of power. (Remainder snipped by request of PINR. - ed.) The Power and Interest News Report (PINR) is an analysis-based publication that seeks to, as objectively as possible, provide insight into various conflicts, regions and points of interest around the globe. PINR approaches a subject based upon the powers and interests involved, leaving the moral judgments to the reader. This report may not be reproduced, reprinted or broadcast without the written permission of inquiries@pinr.com. All comments should be directed to content@pinr.com. |
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