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Understanding Abu Ghraib

阿布格莱布监狱始建于上个世纪70年代，在萨达姆时期是用来关押伊拉克平民的监狱，萨达姆政府曾在此关押过因涉嫌与1982年杜贾尔村针对萨达姆的未遂暗杀案有关的平民，当年萨达姆政府在这所监狱内肆意折磨和杀害无辜平民，这里在萨达姆统治时期曾是“死亡与摧残”的象征。美军入侵和占领伊拉克后，在此大量关押、审讯和虐待囚犯，阿布格莱布监狱在2006年7月份关闭，所有犯人都将转移到巴格达机场内的新监狱里，为建设这所新监狱美国政府共花费了5500万美元，监狱内配备一切必要设备，关押条件符合国际标准，警卫工作由美军负责。2004年4月，美国CBS电视台公布了美军虐囚的首批照片后，爆发了举世震惊的美军虐囚丑闻，布什总统被迫为美国军人的非法野蛮行为向伊拉克人民公开道歉。2004年5月开始审判第一名被控犯下虐囚罪行的美军士兵。现在，已有11名美军官兵因虐囚案受到各种程度的处罚，最严厉的处罚是美军士兵格拉纳被判处10年监禁。

Understanding Abu Ghraib" on this Moment of Science.

In May, 2004 the world was shocked by the abuse of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison(阿布格莱布监狱), near Baghdad. Lurid photographs and reports caused us to wonder how otherwise (1)law-abiding, (2)well-trained soldiers could commit such abuses.

The question is not new. An experiment conducted by psychologist Phil Zimbardo at Stanford University in the early 1970s explored the behavior of psychologically healthy people in a simulated prison environment.

Volunteer participants were randomly divided into prisoners and guards. The prisoners were held in a makeshift prison and guards were told to maintain order as they (3)saw fit. It took only one day for the guards to begin abusing their authority. After a brief rebellion, the prisoners were punished by being forced to do (4)push ups and other physically demanding exercise. The guards also sprayed the prisoners with a fire extinguisher and threatened sexual abuse. The situation got so (5)out of hand that after only six days the two-week long experiment was aborted.

Based on the experiment and others like it, Zimbardo and other psychologists concluded that in the right context anyone can do things that they would otherwise consider barbaric. During the Holocaust, for example, Nazi doctors who were known to be good husbands and fathers thought nothing of torturing and killing concentration camp(集中营) prisoners. But as Zimbardo showed, the capacity for brutal behavior is not limited to Nazis or other criminals.

So while the incidents at Abu Ghraib are certainly disturbing, they are not unprecedented. If the Stanford experiment and others like it are any indication, what happened at Abu Ghraib was not abnormal. Unfortunately, it was an example of human nature at its very worst.

Notes:

(1)law-abiding ['l?:?,baidi?] adj.守法的

Most guns are owned by law-abiding citizens and are used carefully.

拥有枪支的人大多是守法公民，而且使用非常谨慎。

(2)well-trained ['wel'treind] adj.训练有素的;良好训练

The university boasts a team of well-trained teachers.

这所大学拥有一支训练有素的教师队伍。

(3)see fit 认为(做某事)是恰当的;决定(做某事，尤指蠢事)

Use it as you see fit.

看着合适你就用吧。

(4)push ups n.俯卧撑(等于pushups)

Examples include squats, lunges, and push ups.