As the deadline for turnover of Iraqi sovereignty approaches, images of torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers shocked the world. Many human rights organizations call the treatment of prisoners a violation of the Geneva Convention. Military officials assure us that acts of a few low ranking military personnel -"bad apples" - will be punished. But are the images just "trophy shots" taken by sadistic guards or evidence of a prescribed degradation process used to "soften up" prisoners for interrogation?

• Major General Geoffrey Miller - commander of the interrogation center at Guantanamo - was called into Baghdad in August. His plan was to "Gitmoze" the prison system in Iraq- using methods including exposure to temperature extremes, and placing prisoners in "stress positions" for extended periods.



• The International Red Cross reports: 70-90% of prisoners held in Iraq are detained by mistake.

Accused soldiers facing courts martial are pointing fingers higher up the chain of command. Are claims that they were just "following orders" unfounded? What role do private military contractors, many of whom are ex-Special Forces trained to undergo interrogation procedures themselves, play in gathering intelligence from detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan? Whom do they answer to? Who trained them?

Some historians point out that this is not the first time prisoners have been subjected to torture - abroad in times of war, or domestically, in our own prison system. Are increasing reports of sexual assault and abuse within US military an early warning sign that something may be wrong within our own ranks as well? Soldiers coming back from Iraq are refusing to return and speaking of commands in breach of the laws of war.

• The massacre of My Lai in the Vietnam War, treatment of German POW's after WWII, and posed photos of triumphant whites at lynchings in the 20th century South - sold as "quaint" southern post cards - are a chilling reminder that the psyche of America is tinged with violence.



• With only 5% of the world population, the US holds 25% of the world's prison population. More than 1.7 million people were either in prison or jail in 1998 - that's one in every 117 men.



• One-third of all women vets report being sexually assaulted or harassed while in military service.

If concerns about Iraqi prisoner abuse were being voiced in July 2003, why did CBS admit to only airing its story in early May 2004 - after learning the New Yorker would publish its own account later that week. Is the desire not to be 'scooped' the only motivation of the US media to cover the story?

In the wake of 9/11 has our treatment of prisoners become "anything goes"? What is the Geneva Convention and what does it do to protect prisoners of war? Is the hunt for terrorist blurring the line between "gathering intelligence" and torture? Are there other charges of abuse in Afghanistan? Guantanamo? What has been the response of the Arab community to allegations of abuse? Where do contractors fit into the laws of war and war crimes when it comes to accountability? Who is in charge of the interrogation? What part does military training play in soldiers' abuse of prisoners? Who can hold the US accountable for treatment of prisoners of war? Are we offering the world a "ready made" excuse to disregard the Geneva Convention in the future? Can we afford to ignore the images and abuses because of our own discomfort? How has the politicizing of the news affected coverage of events? In our search to root out the "bad guys" have we become the enemy? In our Democracy, are we "the people" ultimately responsible? What can we do?