A Note on Atrocities

Nothing better illustrates the moral schizophrenia of our society than the generally accepted notion of what constitutes a wartime “atrocity.”

Nothing better illustrates the moral schizophrenia of our society than the generally accepted notion of what constitutes a wartime “atrocity.” We are constantly reminded that international conferences have labored to work out rules to govern the treatment of prisonersof-war in order to protect captured soldiers from unnecessarily brutal treatment. Simultaneously techniques of warfare have been developed which make civilians the major victims of war, and whatever torture or horror these noncombatants must put up with are accepted as “necessary” aspects of total war. This means that by the old standards of today one’s own fighting men, when captured by an enemy, are entitled to more humane treatment than are the enemy’s women and children whose murder — by explosives, fire, or starvation — is not considered to be an atrocity when committed by “-our side.” This attitude, of course, is true for “both sides” in any conflict....