THOSE AMERICANS who ask "why do they hate us?" of Islamist extremists could be worse-advised than to read the recent article in the New York Times on the torture and murder of Afghan civilians in American custody. This shocking report added to a catalogue of US abuses, which now include the horrors at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, the dubious detentions at Guantanamo Bay, or the American practice of passing some captives for "rendering" to third countries in which torture is known to be used.
It was not surprising that confronted with terror, the Americans would add torture to their arsenal. It is a tragedy nonetheless. Whatever short-term gain the Americans stand to win from hard tactics, risk being frittered away by the long-term hatred their use will incur. And the exhortations of George W. Bush - 'they hate us for our freedom' - will ring hollow if his government gives ordinary people perfectly sound reasons to hate America.
For its part, the Bush administration is showing insufficient determination in ending such abuses. A nasty odour lingers over both the Afghan and Abu Ghraib investigations: despite indicators that the green light for such practices came from on high, it seems likely that nobody in a high position will be punished for torture.
An Associated Press(AP) dispatch we published last Thursday cited a 308-page report from Amnesty International which branded the United States prison camp in Guantanamo Bay as a failure and sharply criticised other American detention centres around the world. Of some 540 prisoners from about 40 countries held at Guantanamo, many have been held for three years without charge, the AP said.
The U.S. government must take a firmer stand to end torture by its agents and allies in the war on terror. Failure to do so is likely to lead to even greater tragedy in this terrible war.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
