Abu Ghraib

by NORTH ATLANTIC BOOKSSTRAUSS, DAVID LEVI

• ISBN13: 9781556435508
• ISBN10: 1556435509
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2004-11-23
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Summary

Abu Ghraib unveiled a lengthy list of disastrous actions and cover-ups by the Bush administration and the American military. Abu Ghraib examines the problem from many different perspectives, gathering together timely essays on the prison scandal from prominent progressive writers. Barbara Ehrenreich looks at the story through the lens of feminism, noting that the most infamous photos involve female soldiers. John Gray argues that Iraq is worse than Vietnam. Looking to future ramifications, Meron Benvenisti reflects on the "powerless rage" of an occupied culture. David Matlin deconstructs President Bush's declaration that the Abu Ghraib images do not represent America. Giving voice to those directly impacted, Mark Danner reports on the anger and humiliation experienced by the victims and their families. This book provides a broader understanding of the issue and its repercussions.

Author Biography

Complete list of Contributors: Meron Benvenisti, Mark Danner, Barbara Ehrenreich, John Gray, Richard Grossinger, David Matlin, Charles Stein, David Levi Strauss, and Brook Warner.

Barbara Ehrenreich is a prominent political essayist and social critic. She is the author or co-author of thirteen books, including Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class (Perennial), and Nickle and Dimed: Surviving in Low-Wage America (Owl Books). Ehrenreich lives in Key West, Florida.

John Gray is Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). His areas of expertise include British politics, European affairs, intellectual history, political philosophy, and political thought. Gray lives in London.

Meron Benvenisti was deputy mayor of Jerusalem from 1971 to 1978. Benvenisti is currently a columnist for Haaretz, Israel’s largest newspaper. He is the author of many books, including Intimate Enemies: Jews and Arabs in a Shared Land (UC Press) and City of Stone: The Hidden History of Jerusalem (UC Press). Benvenisti lives in Jerusalem.

Mark Danner is a staff writer for The New Yorker and Professor of Journalism at University of California, Berkeley. He writes about foreign affairs and American politics and foreign policy in Europe and the Middle East. Danner lives in Berkeley, California.

David Matlin is a novelist, poet, and essayist. He teaches literature creative writing at San Diego State University. Matlin is the author of Prisons Inside the New America (North Atlantic Books). Matlin lives in San Diego, California.

Table of Contents

"Chain of Command at Abu Ghraib"	p. viii
Torture and Truth	p. 1
The Logic of Torture	p. 17
Power and Vainglory	p. 47
An Old Refrain that Stabs at the Heart	p. 56
Abu Ghraib: The Surround	p. 60
Feminism's Assumptions Upended	p. 65
Abu Ghraib and a New Generation of Soldiers	p. 71
Breakdown in the Gray Room: Recent Turns in the Image War	p. 87
Abu Ghraib and the Magic of Images	p. 102
Abu Ghraib: A Howl	p. 123
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