Sadism and Cruelty in War

Paper Summary:

The paper presents a detailed examination of sadistic behaviors during wars. The writer explores various examples in which people were subjected to behaviors that could be considered sadistic in nature, such as American soldiers beating Iraqis and the Germans' behavior during the Holocaust. The paper examines the possible causes of such behavior and the acceptance of the behavior by those who witnessed it occurring. The writer focuses on the term sadistic and the established definitions and standards of evidence that are related to the concept of sadism. The paper also looks at the Geneva Rules of Convention that lay out clear and concise acceptable behaviors when it comes to how people are expected to conduct themselves during war.

Outline:
Introduction
Examples
Getting to the Cause
Evidences Needed to Call it Wrong
Defining the Act
Specifics
Geneva Rules
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Part of the difficulty in defining what is and what is not sadistic behavior during war, is the very fact that the people involved are at war. There are very thin lines between defense and offense, sadistic behavior and protection. While many of the acts committed during a war may appear at first glance to be sadistic in nature, when one examines the circumstances more closely, one discovers that the acts are actually acts of self defense or of combat. In situations such as the one with the American soldiers torturing the Iraq prisoners, the evidence is clear and irrefutable. There have been other instances however, in which the lines are not as clear and the debate about the treatment of POW's has raged with no resolution."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Browning, Christopher R. 1992, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the final solution in Poland, HarperPerennial, New York
• Coll, Steve (2000) The Other War; The Gratuitous Cruelties Against Civilians In Sierra Leone Last Year Rivaled Those Committed In Kosovo At The Same Time. Yet The World All But Ignored It, And Now Washington Has Broke The Washington Post;
• Fogel, Robert William and Engerman, Stanley L.,(1974) Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery (New York: Norton, 1974).
• Friedlander, Saul, (1993) Memory, History, and the Extermination of the Jews of Europe Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press,
• Goldhagen, Daniel J. 1996, Hitler's willing executioners : ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, Alfred A. Knof, Inc., New York

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