In the
latest survey, younger Americans are rather more likely than their elders to approve of committing war crimes: torturing enemy soldiers, killing enemy prisoners, taking civilian hostages.
The Atlantic
blames Bush and Abu Ghraib. I'd be reluctant to draw that conclusion without having a bit of time series evidence. It would not surprise me at all if there's been a level shift upwards in Americans' acceptance of torture post 9/11. But the age patterning suggests less to me about cohort effects (the folks for whom 9/11 has always been a part of adulthood) and more about lifecycle patterns in aggressiveness.
It worries me a lot more that a straight majority of those surveyed, whether adult or youth, said that it is ok to deny prisoners visits from neutral third parties (like the Red Cross) and that torturing enemy combatants for military information is just fine. Anybody still surprised that Obama hasn't closed Guantanamo or allowed folks to visit Bradley Manning?
HT:
Cheryl Cline
