Much is being made lately of the disturbing photograph that showed the gruesome execution of a member of the Taliban by Northern Alliance troops published in the Daily Lobo last Wednesday. Objections to its publication are understandable; no moral person can help shivering at the thought of such a painful and inglorious end.
Opinions differ on how to deal with the empathy we feel when shown such an image are at the heart of the disagreements about the war in Afghanistan. Those who believe that our military actions there are unjustifiable point to the suffering that is being caused by our involvement. Surely, we should not dehumanize any human beings, even the men of the Taliban, to the point where we condone the brutality we see in that photo.
It's true that we should never lose sight of the fact that our enemies - even those who commit terrifying atrocities - are human, too. Each has, for lack of a better term, a soul. They have thoughts, feelings, dreams, ideas, humor and everything else that we value in ourselves and those we love. Each person has potential, promise, and free will.
Many who contemplate this begin to see all killing as wrong. How can the destruction of another being so much like ourselves ever be justifiable?
The problem with this point of view is that not everyone sees it this way. That poor wretch dying in last Wednesday's photo most likely didn't believe it, because he was willing to take up arms and fight for one of the most oppressive and murderous regimes in the world. He almost certainly didn't appreciate the free will and personhood of women, since he sure didn't object to their systematic subjugation and dehumanization.
The other side of looking for the value in everyone is realizing that they have the power to do the same. Not only do the Taliban fail to appreciate the humanity of others, they actively work to deprive women and enemies of it.
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Which is the greater evil, to support the death of the Taliban or to stand by while they continue to enact their cruelties and murders upon the world?
Those who support peace are fond of the term "global justice." They tell us that "global justice" will only be accomplished by us stepping back and respecting the "rights" of fanatics and dictators to practice their evils unopposed.
These are often the same people who are saying that the United States caused the September 11 attacks, that we "had it coming." I will agree insofar as before September 11, we knew that the Taliban and al-Qaida existed and what they stood for, yet we did nothing.
This is not to paint the United States in rosy colors, however. Too often, our international policies do more harm than good. We replace dictators who oppose us with dictators just as bad who support us.
Our government acts for the short-term good of our international interests without thinking enough about the long-term consequences.
What we need to realize is that respecting human rights and our long-term goals could and should be the same thing.
We need to admit to ourselves that respect for human beings takes precedence over lines drawn on a map. If we are to say that we truly care for all people everywhere, then we cannot continue to honor the sovereignty of nations that condone female genital mutilation, participate in the slave trade, commit genocide, and deprive those they rule of basic freedoms.
So when we see a picture of the last bloody moments of a Taliban man, we should keep in mind that just because we don't have pictures of the people he may have killed or oppressed or tormented doesn't make his crimes any less. We should keep in mind that none of the atrocities he saw the Taliban commit caused him to renounce his belief in it.
How would leaving him alive have furthered the cause of global justice? Killing other human beings is never a good thing, but standing by while atrocities are committed when we have the power to stop it is even worse.
by Craig A. Butler
Daily Lobo Columnist
