Several of the US soldiers involved in the Iraqi prisoner abuse
scandal insist that they were following orders from military and
civilian interrogator. Yang Xia, a psychology researcher at Peking
Union Medical University, says that if that is true, it might be a
new kind of psychological tactic employed by the US military.
The soldiers used a variety of physical and mental techniques to
abuse and humiliate Iraqi prisoners while other US soldiers stood
by laughing. They took pictures and videos to record the whole
process, and then showed them to other captives.
The US military interrogators want to get more information from
these captives by taking advantage of their reaction. At the same
time, those pictures and videos might discourage Iraqi resistance.
Such techniques can be very effective. In order to protect
themselves from similar abuse, some prisoners would confess.
Zhang Liyi, director of the People's Liberation Army's Center
for Psychological Disease Control and Prevention, believes that the
abusive behavior may result from the abnormal psychology of the US
servicemembers involved. As the situation in Iraq drags on,
conflicts between Iraqi civilians and the US military are
aggravated. The number of US soldiers dead and wounded continues to
rise, and the troops may become demoralized. Some US soldiers may
vent their frustrations and fears on the prisoners.
Sun Changling, an expert from the China National Institute for
Education Research, agrees that abnormal psychology may be the root
of the problem, but perhaps for a different reason. Sun believes
they may have obtained psychological pleasure and satisfaction from
abusing their captives.
Sun points out, however, that the excited soldiers who were
ready for action at the beginning of the war and who thought they
had won it in such a short time have changed with the reality of
the past year. They are anxious, depressed and disappointed in
their government. They cannot complain to their commanders, so the
Iraqi prisoners become objects on which to air their
grievances.
Xiao Feng, director of the Peking Huiyuan Psychology and
Education Research Center, points out that the soldiers are bored
and looking for some fun. They regard themselves as the victors in
Iraq, and show their contempt for their captives physically abusing
and humiliating them. Because they needed to continue ratcheting up
the level of abuse to feel the thrill, they resorted to sexual
violence.
The photos "commemorating" their activities in Iraq indicate
that the soldiers may be proud of their behavior and feel that it
is something they can show off to their friends, says Yang Xia.
Almost in the same way we may take photos at scenic spots when we
are traveling, the soldiers may have felt that they could impress
people with mementos of their experience in Iraq.
The pictures clearly show that the soldiers were enjoying the
sexual abuse of Iraqi detainees. There are no signs of any internal
moral struggle.
Yang Xia says that the cultural background and values of the
Americans must be considered when evaluating these actions.
Individuality and personal worth are emphasized, which may lead to
behavior that is egotistical and devoid of empathy.?
The US soldiers lead comfortable lives in times of peace, but
everything changed when they stepped onto Iraqi soil.
"Entertainment" comes in the form of firefights and explosions; the
risk of death or injury is a constant companion. Under such
conditions, the soldiers resorted to violent abuse to relieve the
overwhelming stress.
Professor Li Meijin, of the Chinese People's Public Security
University thinks the soldiers may well have received encouragement
in their behavior from outside sources, and that encouragement
fanned the flames of depravity that broke out during the war.
"We can't call it sexual perversion, strictly speaking, or
sexual abuse," says Li, explaining that those behaviors are
motivated by the need for violence in order to achieve sexual
satisfaction. The US soldiers, she says, did not appear to be
seeking their own sexual satisfaction despite the apparently sexual
nature of the abuse.
Li also points out that this is not a case of a few isolated
incidents committed by one or two soldiers, but that by many US
soldiers participated in it over time. That indicates that it may
have originated somewhere higher in the chain of command. Several
of the accused soldiers have said just that.
Moreover, there is a tendency for an individual to lose some of
his or her usual self-restraint when entering an unfamiliar
environment. Aggravated by the loss of civility and
self-consciousness that often accompanies participation in a
collective activity, the soldiers would have been prone to behave
in ways that were far outside the norm for them.
Li says that there is a long history of links between war and
sexual misconduct. The soldiers are in a group outside that of
larger society, and they are usually restrained and under close
watch at all times. The chaos of war might provide an opportunity
for escape from the accustomed confinement.
The abuse of Iraqi prisoners may do lasting damage to everyone
involved. The abused prisoners may be filled with contempt for
themselves, anxious and possibly depressed for the rest of their
lives. Some may commit suicide. The experience will also be a
shadow in the minds of the American soldiers that will influence
them long after the war is over, in the same way that Vietnam
veterans and World War Two Japanese soldiers were haunted by
nightmares decades after they had returned home.
Li Meijin, a graduate of the Philosophy Department of the
Renmin University of China, now directs a master's tutoring group
at the People's Public Security University. Li is a professor of
criminal psychology and her main fields cover criminal psychology,
psychological representation of criminals, juvenile crime
prevention and organized crime.
Yang Xia is an assistant researcher at Peking Union Medical
College, a member of the China Mental Hygiene Association and
director of the Beijing Psychology Association.
(China.org.cn May 17, 2004)