According to a story in the British newspaper, The Age, British commanders think that the Americans are using disproportionate measures to combat the insurgents. One "senior official" says:
"....part of the problem was that American troops viewed Iraqis as untermenschen - the Nazi expression for 'sub-humans'.
"Speaking from his base in southern Iraq, the officer said: 'My view and the view of the British chain of command is that the Americans' use of violence is not proportionate and is over-responsive to the threat they are facing. They don't see the Iraqi people the way we see them. They view them as untermenschen. They are not concerned about the Iraqi loss of life in the way the British are.'
"The phrase untermenschen - literally 'under-people' - was brought to prominence by Adolf Hitler in his book Mein Kampf, published in 1925. He used the term to describe those he regarded as racially inferior: Jews, Slavs and gypsies."
Sure. Americans have a lot to learn about race relations from the former owners of India, South Africa, Rhodesia, Palestine, and Hong Kong. Besides that, it's sweet of our allies to compare our men to Nazis.
As for gypsies....no comment.
(Notice of The Age article courtesy of Deep Blade.)
Posted by Toby Petzold
at 10:57 AM CDT
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Updated: Wednesday, 14 April 2004 11:08 AM CDT
Updated: Wednesday, 14 April 2004 11:08 AM CDT