This chapter describes the Iraq war and the war in Afghanistan as desert wars, even though they are fought in cities, mountains, and marshes. Americans believe that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. That America is home to many peoples with different cultures, languages, and faiths testifies that it is not for itself alone, but for all the world. The conviction that America offers a home to people of every place and faith spoke against discrimination after the terrorist attacks of September 11. The War on Terror saw America desert its principles for torture, secret prisons, and extraordinary rendition. This chapter examines how Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo became places where Americans confront troubling domestic issues, such as the pathologies of pornography and celebrity, the myth of gender equality, and the burden of racial inequality.
Abu Ghraib, 2004: Doctrinal Confusion of American Military Police
