Torture is all over the headlines--in other countries. In England, the Ministry of Defense announced an inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa, who died from asphyxiation while in a British detention center in Basra in September 2003. The inquiry will look into the death of Mousa---who had 93 identifiable injuries when he died--as well as other civilian abuses by the British.
Up north, meanwhile, it emerged that the US gave $500,000 to the Pakistani military to apprehend Al Qaeda-linked CanadianAbdullah Khadr in 2004. Khadr was held in custody for nearly a year by the Pakistanis, where he says he was tortured repeatedly. His son, 15-year-old Omar Khadr, is still being held in Guantanamo Bay.
All of this shows that where America leads, others follow. When the U.S. tortures, allied nations follow suit. When the U.S. is cavalier in its human rights standards, other western democracies are, too. Americans should know that the soiling of justice in the land of liberty has destructive effects far beyond the shores of this country.--Jordan Michael Smith
