Devastating Symbols

145

October 31, 2012

Published in Neues Deutschland
(Germany) on 27 October 2012
by Olaf Standke (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Ron Argentati. Edited by Peter L. McGuire.

Barack Obama once called the war on terror - initiated by President George W. Bush in the wake of the 9/11 attacks - a shameful chapter in American history. The accuracy of his assessment was recently shown by the latest Wikileaks revelations concerning the treatment of prisoners captured in that struggle. As handbooks, manuals and other internal Pentagon documents show, human rights abuses were not only regrettable collateral damage in that war but deliberate policy, whether in Guantanamo in Cuba, Abu-Ghraib in Iraq, Bagram in Afghanistan or in torture facilities in Allied countries into which prisoners suspected of terrorist activity disappeared. Guantanamo, above all, became the symbol of Washington's devastating policies and remains so today.

Then, despite all the publicity, Obama didn't close the prison. Human rights abuses newly documented by Wikileaks will not result in any indictments. And more: as far as rights abuses go, Obama has far outdone his predecessor in many aspects especially if one considers his expansion of the killings by unmanned drones. Those account for far more than 200 deaths in Pakistan alone and include innocent civilians.

The shameful chapter hasn't yet come to an end.

Verheerende Symbole
Von Olaf Standke
27.10.2012

Ein schmachvolles Kapitel der US-amerikanischen Geschichte nannte Barack Obama einst den von Präsident George W. Bush nach den Anschlägen vom 11. September 2001 initiierten »Antiterrorkrieg« der Vereinigten Staaten. Wie richtig er damit lag, demonstrieren auch die neuesten Enthüllungen der Internetplattform Wikileaks zum Umgang mit den Gefangenen in diesem Feldzug. Wie die Handbücher und andere interne Dokumente des Pentagon zeigen, waren Menschenrechtsverletzungen dabei nicht nur bedauerliche Kollateralschäden, sondern gleichsam Programm, ob im Lager Guantanamo, im irakischen Gefängnis Abu-Ghraib, im afghanischen Pendant Bagram oder in Folterzentren auf dem Territorium verbündeter Staaten, in denen Terrorverdächtige verschwanden. Vor allem Guantanamo wurde zum Symbol einer verheerenden Politik Washingtons - und ist es immer noch.

Denn entgegen allen Ankündigungen hat Präsident Obama das Lager nicht geschlossen. Politische Verantwortliche für die massiven Menschenrechtsverletzungen, die Wikileaks jetzt erneut dokumentiert, wurden zudem nicht zur Rechenschaft gezogen. Mehr noch. In manchen Fragen des sogenannten Antiterrorkrieges hat Obama seinen Vorgänger Bush längst übertroffen, wenn man etwa an die drastische Ausweitung der Drohnen-Angriffe denkt. Allein in Pakistan waren es während seiner Amtszeit inzwischen weit über 200, immer wieder starben dabei auch unschuldige Zivilisten.

Das schmachvolle Kapitel wird fortgeschrieben.

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