In recent days, various footage has surfaced that has not been shown on American networks. Some, such as the Iraqi video of American POWs, has been widely discussed in the United States. Others, such as pictures of Iraqi civilian injuries, have barely been discussed at all in the US.

People might remember that photos of the war in VietNam were a key element of turning the tide of public opinion against that war. A similar thing happened with the now-infamous incident on Somalia more recently. Because of this, I wonder whether the mainstream American media is acting this way in an effort to avoid altering public opinion against a profitable ratings-grab for them.

I think that Americans should be able to see important footage of the war that our government has instigated. Moreover, I believe that the idea of hiding these photos from Americans because an American audience can’t take it goes directly against all the “strong and mighty” talk the government is spreading, and is, in fact, wrong. Americans can process these images just like the rest of the world can. And, fundamentally, anyone, anywhere, looking at these images cannot help but conclude that war is a terrible thing. I personally see these as even more reasons why the Bush administration should not have rushed into this.

Watching the video makes me think Rumsfeld’s claims that the Iraqis are violating the Geneva POW accords are shaky at best. That assertion rests on the Iraqis humiliating the prisoners, and from my view, it looks like the prisoners are humiliating the Iraqis.

In any case, below are links to what people are seeing everywhere in the world except the United States. I link to these resources so that Americans can get a glimpse of what people all across the globe are seeing. I want everyone reading this to understand that I am absolutely against poor treatement of POWs and civilians.

Please beware that these images are graphic and people, especially children, easily disturbed by this content should exercise due discretion.

The Arab television network Al-Jazeera has been widely running these photos of Iraqi war victims. One of them shows a child with half its head missing. NPR has reported that particular image running all over the Arab world, and solidifying public opinion against the war there.

The Iraqis recently released a video of interrogation of American POWs. This video has been seen by US military officials, networks, and others, but has not been released to the public. Several people on the Internet made recordings of this. There are several copies, apparently from a Dutch TV network. You can find them here and here.