What happens when a government knows it has foreign military backing, and so it can get away with anything? BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraq detainees 'found starving'. (news.bbc.co.uk, 11/15/05)

Abuse of members of the group newly in power against members of the group formerly in power isn't too surprising. And we all already know that abuse - both physical abuses, and the abuse of power - are currently acceptable in the current climate. The US abuses - why shouldn't its proteges? We also know that no one has been punished for the deaths of prisoners at the hands of US allies in Afghanistan, so a very ugly pattern has already been set.

No surprises here.