Essay On The Ballad Of Abu Ghraib

Improved Essays
The way the government aimed to deny these incidents ever occurred, Gourevitch and Morris deliver an in-depth perspective on the events taken place in a prison system in Abu Ghraib, located in Iraq. It’s astounding how the people whom lead our precious America could be such savages in the face of temptation. And so much so, how could we as a country be the country we are and continuously deny our roles in these events. The leaders of our free have once again aimed at keeping world information, as only official information. We can now watch and read of what actually happened and why the government doesn’t want us to know about it. This book is an excellent resource to gain further perspective on the actually events of Abu Ghraib that were once denied of …show more content…
It is also an excellent resource for students, educators, and others whom follow government involvements in foreign affairs. While the book seem to be vivid in its entities, it makes for a great read. The world can finally be educated on the truth.
Philip Gourevitch’s and Errol Morris, The Ballad of Abu Ghraib, is a detailed depiction of the torture and brutalization that took place in Abu Ghraib prison by American officials. A depiction of events that were once denied by major government officials and later revealed in photos that were exposed in 2003. Gourevitch and Morris capture the wraths of Iraqi men who were abused and tortured in the prison of Abu Ghraib, as well as other prison facilities throughout Iraq, by as what can refer to them as ‘American Terrorists”. Gourevitch’s and Morris compiles a series of stories that entail the events took place in Abu Ghraib. The authors detail the horror and inhumanity of Iraqis from low ranking army officials being advised

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Black Hearts Book Review

    • 2158 Words
    • 9 Pages

    In the book Black Hearts: One Platoon’s Descent into Madness in Iraq’s Triangle of Death, author Jim Frederick explores the events during the deployment of the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and more specifically the actions of 1st Platoon, Bravo Company. Bravo Company, along with the rest of 1st Battalion faced grueling circumstances of inadequate supplies and personnel, poor living quarters, and a near constant barrage of enemy attacks during their 2005-2006 deployment to the poignantly named, “Triangle of Death” of southern Baghdad, Iraq. In the midst of that chaos, four men committed one of the most well publicized and heinous war crimes committed by U.S. forces in modern warfare. Four men from 1st Platoon,…

    • 2158 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introducing the author Daniel J. Hill, he made good points on views of torture on how it could be permissible and not permissible. He introduced different scenarios on how to look at torture and was very interesting. One view he gave was a “defense case” that expressed that the officer spots a terrorist who plans to detonate a bomb that could risk lives of many. The officer made the choice to tase the terrorist just enough to paralyze him from making the bomb go off. Another case was the “interrogation case” that speaks about a terrorist planting a bomb somewhere and security services using electric shocks to get the terrorist to speak on the whereabouts of the bomb.…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In post 9/11 America, it is not very common to see a book that doesn 't portray the men and women of the United States Military in a positive light. Most Americans regard all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines as heroes who have a strong moral compass and always try to do the right thing. However the reality can be quite different. The reality of war is that it is dirty, ugly, and rarely, if ever, a glorious affair. All armies throughout history have had their share of incidents that they would rather forget and the modern US Army is no different.…

    • 1527 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Diagnostic: “The Torture Myth” by Anne Applebaum After the events of September 11, 2001, America launched into an anti-terrorism fight that was different from any other fight seen before. The aspiration for three-letter government agencies became information. Information became the most valuable asset in warfare. Initially, torture was the obvious choice for extracting information. However, officials started to question its effectiveness.…

    • 217 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    September 11, caused most Arab descendants to be viewed as suspects to the United States. “The CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important Ai Qaeda captives at a Soviet-era compound in eastern Grope, according to United States and foreign officials familiar with the arrangement” (Priest Para 1). “The hidden global internment network is a central element in the CIA unconventional war on terrorism” (Priest Para 3). These captured suspects can be held in this secret prison legally for as long as possible without being charged for any crime.…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Robert D Shadley is a retired major general of the US Army. Nearly twenty years ago, he served as a ranking agent in Aberdeen proving ground (an army training facility in Maryland-Harford County). His book The GAMe: Unraveling a Sex Scandal in The Military is a clear demonstration of Shadley’s facility for morality and justice as well as the love of justice. In this 360-pages-long work published by Beaver 's Pond Press, Shadley exposes mischievous acts of sexual assault that pervaded the military, particularly at his station. These ignominious events followed hot on the heels of another sexual assault incidence in the navy, which was known as the Tailhook scandal.…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Unfortunately, the United States’ government did not handle the situation as well as some may have expected. In 2004, the US Congress received only twelve hours of sworn testimony about Abu Ghraib and there were no final reports (Eisenman 7). The main attention was focused on the lower-ranking officers, instead of the whole chain of command. Also in 2004, the General in charge of monitoring Iraqi prisoners, Geoffrey Miller, was promoted to deputy commanding general for detainee operations in Iraq, even after the incident at Abu Ghraib. At the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes, Geoffrey Miller also received the Distinguished Service Medal-- an award presented to any person serving in the United States’ army who has distinguished himself or herself by exceptional service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility--in 2006.…

    • 1637 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Afghanistan Paper WHAT I KNOW? Americans have been fighting in Afghanistan for a while. I Believe that the reason we went over there was because of 9/11. I may be absolutely wrong on that though.…

    • 1573 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    According to the labeling theory, Lynndie England and the other soldiers were an example of primary deviance while they tortured the individuals at Abu Ghraib. The act of torturing the individuals created primary deviance. Secondary deviance developed when Lynndie England was labeled a sexual deviant and unhonorably discharged from the military. Lynndie England developed tertiary deviance when she tried to redefine the stigma of her deviant label. She tried to say that the soldiers at Abu Ghraib deserved…

    • 79 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    On September 11, 2001, the United States and the view on terrorism has changed forever. These were the devastating attacks that sparked the War on Terror and the creation of Guantanamo Bay. Guantanamo Bay is a detention camp located in Cuba that hold suspected terrorists and is used to extract critical information. There have been proposed plans to close or replace Guantanamo Bay due to moral and cost-wise reasons. However, it should remain open because the detainees are too dangerous to move to another prison, crucial information is extracted, and the U.S. Constitution and the Geneva Convention are not violated.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Integrated Argument Draft Ideally, an outsider gazing upon the faces of any organization: the CEOs, the boss, the head hancho, sees fearless, noble leaders with true intentions and a passion for taking care of their people. It is a perfect world where they are performing justly, all the time, without a doubt of deception. This perfect world is also one of ignorance. The United States military is one example of being known for ceaseless patriotism and a passion to protect our country and the constitution it is held up by. At it’s best, the United States military is known for unrelenting patriotism and a passion to uphold the freedoms of its people.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Night is a book describing a historic nightmare known as the holocaust. It is a memoir written by a survivor of this nightmare named Ellie Wiesel. Wiesel, in writing this story, has become the voice of the millions who no longer have one. There is great power in the voice of one speaking for many and Night is the evidence of that power. The purpose of this writing is to sum up the memoir of the story teller, to describe the power of his one voice and to express the overall affect Night has on its reader.…

    • 1093 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Executions Should Be Televised,” is an essay that was written by Zachary Shemtob and David Lat. Shemtob and Lat makes an argument on whether or not executions should be televised. Although others argue against it being televised, the two writers do explain why it should be in their opinion. The reasons why it should televised is for those that are concern to witness whether or not lethal injection causes any painful sufferings and also the people should have the rights to see what is being done in their name and tax dollars with their own eyes rather than having to read about what journalists think or vaguely describe using the morning paper. This is a brief summary of the essay; Shemtob and Lat start off by talking Georgia’s third execution that would have passed unnoticed.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since the article “The Case for Torture” by Michael Levin was published in Newsweek in 1982, it has stirred up many debates regarding the universal use of torture. Levin believes that torture is justifiable in extreme cases such as preventing terrorism to save lives. Levin argues by giving examples of make-believe scenarios in which the only two options given are to either meet the demands of the terrorist or to torture the terrorist so that innocent lives can be spared; however, Levin’s argument is flawed because he never fully defines the boundaries which can be placed on the concept of torture that would ensure that the use of torture is not abused. He believes that the best way to address a problem in which one wants an immediate result…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Guantanamo Bay Prison, a controversial topic, where the worst of the worst reside, most uncharged, and are interrogated day in and day out all in an effort to protect the citizens of the United States. The film, The Road to Guantanamo, tells the story of three friends before and during their time in Guantanamo through their own accounts, archival footage, and dramatized re-enactments. Through the use of the witness interviews and the dramatized re-enactments of the real events described, The Road to Guantanamo illustrates the disconnect between American values and the American government’s policies such the existence of Guantanamo Bay. Dramatized re-enactments have an almost negative reputation due to a variety of reasons especially because of…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays