History Day

Text: "Lynndie England, the female soldier who participated in the violation of prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, sits between her private and military lawyers, Rick Hernandez and Capt. Jonathan Crisp. England entered a guilty plea on May 3, 2005, at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. Col. James Pohl declared a mistrial in May due to conflicting testimony. The charges against her were reduced for her second trial in September 2005, when she was sentenced to three years in prison and given a dishonorable discharge. She ultimately spent less than two years in prison."

Site: "The focus of this report is the unlawful detention, enforced disappearance and torture or other ill-treatment of thousands of people since 2003 by the US-led Multinational Force in Iraq and the Iraqi authorities. Some have been held arbitrarily, without charge or trial, for seven years. Some remain held even though Iraqi courts or investigative judges have ordered their release. Thousands are still in prison despite the 2008 Amnesty Law, which provides for the release of uncharged detainees after six or 12 months depending on the case."

"Iraqi detainees at the prison here receive medical examinations before and after interrogation thanks to an independent group of Air Force medics."

Author abstract: "Recent incidents at Abu Ghraib prison brought to light one of the more vexing and potentially troublesome issues the U.S. is likely to face in this conflict Does the nature of the War on Terror justify the use of extraordinary measures, i.e., torture, in our effort to defeat the enemy This paper begins with a brief review of the events leading up to the scandal at Abu Ghraib to include the potential influence of policy discussions at the highest levels of government. Following that background discussion, I identify some of the pitfalls associated with defining torture and review some of the major schools of thought on the subject. I then examine the completely antithetical nature of the use of torture in relation to our strategic goals and national values. In closing, I recommend that the Bush administration clearly go on record in opposition to the use of interrogational torture. Additionally, I recommend the Bush administration establish a clear definition of what does and does not constitute torture and the agencies responsible for national security should establish guidelines for interrogation in accordance with that definition."

Article abstract: "For much of the Spring and Summer of 2004, what came to be known as the Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal dominated national and international headlines. Allegations of physical and emotional abuses by U.S. military personnel against Iraqi detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison, shocked the world and led to calls for investigations, punishments, resignations, and war policy adjustments. This paper will examine the impact of the abuses on the U.S. Army as a profession. In addition, the paper will consider the ramifications of the abuses on the intelligence collection process. The Army suffered professionally, and intelligence collection was adversely impacted as a result of the actions committed at Abu Ghraib. The paper will conclude with an assessment that recommendations provided by various investigative panels, if implemented, will correct or will not correct the negative impacts on Army professionalism and intelligence collection."

Abstract: A decade ago, in the autumn of 2003, a small group of soldiers criminally abused detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Two divergent narratives explaining these events emerged: a “bad apple” narrative and a “bad barrel” narrative. Neither does justice to the complex interplay of policy, organizational, and individual factors that contributed to these tragic events. A perfect storm of poor leadership, chaotic and confusing policy changes, and a small group of corrupt and immoral soldiers produced this fiasco with global consequences.

Abstract: The U.S. Army continues to face toxic leadership despite an increase in the training on the subject in the last five years. Toxic Followership is an aspect that both the U.S. Army and the majority of civilian organizations overlook. In an attempt to determine what effect, if any, toxic followership has on leaders within the military, three case studies were analyzed. These case studies were the massacre at My Lai, prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, and the rape and murder of a family by soldiers of the Black Hearts Brigade. Common themes across the three case studies were then laid over a leadership model called the Toxic Triangle by Art Padilla. The research validates the Toxic Triangle model. The absence of the word followers within Army regulations, except to mention that every leader is a follower, severely undermines the impact that they can have on a leader. If this relationship is not clearly understood, and if steps are not taken to mitigate the negative effects toxic followership may have, it could lead to future atrocities similar to those of My Lai, Abu Ghraib, and within the Black Hearts Brigade.

Abstract: "If anyone doubts the role of law in 21st-century conflicts, one need only pose the following question what was the U.S. militarys most serious setback since 911 Few knowledgable experts would say anything other than the detainee abuse scandal known as Abu Ghraib. That this strategic military disaster did not involve force of arms, but rather centered on illegalities, indicates how law has evolved to become a decisive element -- and sometimes the decisive element -- of contemporary conflicts. It is not hard to understand why. Senior commanders readily characterized Abu Ghraib in customary military terms as clearly a defeat because its effect is indistinguishable from that imposed by traditional military clashes. No one debates that the revelations energized the insurgency and profoundly undermined the ability of U.S. forces to accomplish their mission. The exploitation of the incident by adversaries allowed it to become the perfect effects-based, asymmetrical operation that continues to present difficulties for American forces. In early 2009, for instance, a senior Iraqi official conceded that the name Abu Ghraib still left a bitter feeling inside Iraqis heart. For international lawyers and others involved in national security matters, the transformational role of law is often captured under the aegis of the term lawfare. In fact, few concepts have risen more quickly to prominence than lawfare. As recently as 2001, there were only a handful of recorded uses of the term, and none were in todays context. By 2009, however, an Internet search produces nearly 60,000 hits. Unfortunately, lawfare has also generated its share of controversy."

Site summary: "The abuse of prisoners by U.S. Soldiers at Abu Ghraib had broad strategic consequences, leading many people around the world to question the legitimacy of U.S. goals and activities in Iraq. This paper draws on extensive unclassified reports from multiple investigations that followed Abu Ghraib, and applies key psychological as well as social-situational perspectives to develop a better grasp of the causative factors. From a psychological standpoint, most young adults are powerfully inclined to behave in accord with the social conventions and pressures around them. Especially in ambiguous circumstances, then, it is important that standards of behavior be clear and explicit throughout all phases of an operation and that leaders at all levels represent and reinforce those standards."