“Systematic abuse”
sys·tem·at·ic
Function: adjective
Etymology: Late Latin systematicus, from Greek systEmatikos, from systEmat-, systEma
1 : relating to or consisting of a system
2 : presented or formulated as a coherent body of ideas or principles <systematic thought>
3 a : methodical in procedure or plan <a systematic approach> <a systematic scholar> b : marked by thoroughness and regularity <systematic efforts>
It’s been reported that American soldiers and the officers who commanded them attempted to hide the systematic abuse of Iraqi inmates from the Red Cross. And this allegation isn’t from some anti-war peace politician, but from no less than Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, the former head of US military prisons in Iraq, who has nothing to gain by exaggerating the crimes committed under her command.
That word “systematic” is the interesting part of this story. Gen. Karpinski describes not isolated instances, but “patterns of abuse.” While the White House insists that abuses of prisoners “will not be tolerated,” and “do not reflect the nature of the American people or American troops in Iraq,” it’s painfully clear that were tolerated and do reflect the nature of the American troops in Iraq, as evidenced by the fact that the abuses were widespread and involved officers.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, U.S. policy will be changed to “do not abuse the prisoners.”