How Politicians Insult our Intelligence
Australian Foreign minister Alexander Downer was asked, in an interview on ABC Radio National today, whether he would be more concerned about allegations of abuse of David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib in Guantanamo Bay. (This is a link to the ABC news item). This question was in the context of statements by three British ex-detainees, which claim that Hicks and Habib were "seriously abused".
After pointing out that he doubted that his concern was increased (after all, he was naturally highly concerned in the first place), he pointed to the fact that these men had actually been detained in Guantanamo bay and therefore had a political barrow to push. This naturally raised concerns of "objectivity". He then pointed out that the US itself was investigating allegations such as these, and they hadn't turned anything up. Of course, he said, these allegations are serious, and must be investigated, but nevertheless he felt that you still had to doubt the statements of those who claim they went through similar abuse and then were eventually released.
This reponse is instructive. Against a background of complete acceptance of US leadership on the the existence of WMDs in Iraq, which although seriously disputed at the time, have proved to be false, against a background of prisoner abuse in Iraq, against a background of the USA simply rejecting international law and conventions by the very use of Guantanamo Bay to hold people without charge for years, Downer expects us to accept that the US investigations into abuse at Guantanamo Bay will be objective. He expects us to believe that neither he nor the US administration are not pushing a political barrow.
Yet again, the Australian Government will simply accept without question everything the US administration tells them. According to the ABC news article, US officials are denying the allegations, and using similar arguments - that they cannot be believed because they have been released from Guantanamo Bay, and cannot be "objective".
As a political manouver, it may work for some people - a form of ad hominem argument, an attempt to discredit the three British ex-detainees making these statements, for no other reason that "they must have a political barrow to push" (well they're Muslims, aren't they).
Downer is sounding more and more like an echo chamber for US government foreign affairs policy.
For me, it is simply an insult to the intelligence of the people of Australia for Downer to blindly accept and repeat the statements made by the US Administration, without taking specific steps to ensure we get an independent view. Given the background of mistakes and outright lies made by the US Administration regarding the whole "war on terror", I think I might be excused from thinking that US investigations will be anything but spin, outright lies, and and not even remotely resembling even the loosest standard of objectivity.
I cannot even imagine how Alexander Downer can sleep at night with a clear conscience.
Australian Foreign minister Alexander Downer was asked, in an interview on ABC Radio National today, whether he would be more concerned about allegations of abuse of David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib in Guantanamo Bay. (This is a link to the ABC news item). This question was in the context of statements by three British ex-detainees, which claim that Hicks and Habib were "seriously abused".
After pointing out that he doubted that his concern was increased (after all, he was naturally highly concerned in the first place), he pointed to the fact that these men had actually been detained in Guantanamo bay and therefore had a political barrow to push. This naturally raised concerns of "objectivity". He then pointed out that the US itself was investigating allegations such as these, and they hadn't turned anything up. Of course, he said, these allegations are serious, and must be investigated, but nevertheless he felt that you still had to doubt the statements of those who claim they went through similar abuse and then were eventually released.
This reponse is instructive. Against a background of complete acceptance of US leadership on the the existence of WMDs in Iraq, which although seriously disputed at the time, have proved to be false, against a background of prisoner abuse in Iraq, against a background of the USA simply rejecting international law and conventions by the very use of Guantanamo Bay to hold people without charge for years, Downer expects us to accept that the US investigations into abuse at Guantanamo Bay will be objective. He expects us to believe that neither he nor the US administration are not pushing a political barrow.
Yet again, the Australian Government will simply accept without question everything the US administration tells them. According to the ABC news article, US officials are denying the allegations, and using similar arguments - that they cannot be believed because they have been released from Guantanamo Bay, and cannot be "objective".
As a political manouver, it may work for some people - a form of ad hominem argument, an attempt to discredit the three British ex-detainees making these statements, for no other reason that "they must have a political barrow to push" (well they're Muslims, aren't they).
Downer is sounding more and more like an echo chamber for US government foreign affairs policy.
For me, it is simply an insult to the intelligence of the people of Australia for Downer to blindly accept and repeat the statements made by the US Administration, without taking specific steps to ensure we get an independent view. Given the background of mistakes and outright lies made by the US Administration regarding the whole "war on terror", I think I might be excused from thinking that US investigations will be anything but spin, outright lies, and and not even remotely resembling even the loosest standard of objectivity.
I cannot even imagine how Alexander Downer can sleep at night with a clear conscience.
posted by Vergil | 12:51 PM
3 Comments:
Downer has no choice but to trust (or just accept) what the Americans tell him. It's not as if he can really conduct an independent review. He'll be told whatever he is told, and thats that.
http://fairgofordavid.blogspot.com/
Downer had, and still has, the choice to insist that Australian citizens are returned to Australia to face any charges. The British insisted on this, and that's what they eventually achieved. Downer should do the same. The use of Guantanamo Bay as a holding camp is contrary to international law and worse, contrary to human decency because of its presumption of guilt and use of torture.
Post a Comment
<< Home