It's interesting to hear the president and Holbrooke talk about influencing the 'opinion' of the populations of the countries we've invaded, occupied, and are bombing across their sovereign borders as if our goals were benevolent and benignly altruistic. The entire military operation in that region has been defined in military terms, with military objectives carried over from the last administration's blundering militarism.
The intent and the effect of this administration's efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan is an escalation of the military offensive against any and all who we determine to be against our military objectives. Those military objectives dominate, no matter how much money and foodstuffs we offer to the population destabilized by the self-perpetuated cycle of our attacks and reprisals.
The 'collateral' killings and destruction by our forces - and by those opposing the American's strident, opportunistic advance across their homeland - are the images which persist in the view of the besieged populations the administration is looking to influence. No amount of reparations and aid (no matter how much it's actually needed) can repair the division and resentment the recipients of our military advance associate with the U.S. involvement in their nations affairs.
These folks aren't going to change their hearts and minds about all of that just because of some staged and orchestrated images of what they've experienced from American soldiers and contractors for years and years. Unless that reality changes, and until America releases their countries and their people, there will be no rapprochement. The withholding of images of our militarism won't shift 'anti-American opinion' to accommodate and welcome the U.S. and their grudging attacks across sovereign borders, but it just might keep those still in blind or willing support of the military action from recoiling in horror from the tragic realities of war these target nations know from memory.
That's who this reluctance to release the torture photos really seems directed toward. It's not just 'anti-American' opposition the White House looks to be worried about inflaming. I believe it's also American, European and other supporters of their continuing militarism that they intend to keep in the dark about the extent of their recklessness and abuses associated with their occupations. The new gang in town doesn't want their militarism branded with the images of the past, but I'll bet we can put up a few images of this administration's militarism, already out there, that can rival these torture pics. Maybe that was also on the president's mind.
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