The contextual background of the Abu Ghraib Scandal must be analyzed and understood before making any assessment as to why the tortures, humiliations, and possibly murders took place in this Iraqi prison.The major Turning Point in the war occurred after the Jordanian Embassy was bombed by a car bomb. This was a clear sign that there was in fact an insurgency, and it was using strategic attacks to weaken the U.S.They were attacking supporters of the U.S., like the Jordanian embassy, bombing the United Nations, and any way to attack the coalition aiding the U.S. Their goals were clear; they wanted to isolate the U.S. The advancement in the insurgents use of roadside bombs further led to increased deaths and highlighted the abilities of insurgents. The effectiveness of these roadside bombs shows a greater picture which is that locals were aware and supportive of the insurgents, and without local support the U.S would continue to suffer great loses. These losses were blamed on the lack of intelligence, and a lack of understanding the impact they were making on the Iraqi people. In the fall of 2003 U.S. Intelligence would be completely rewired, furthermore, to assess who the real enemy was. The extraction of intel would be done through a massive apprehension and detention of basically any “battle ready” Iraqi male. This form of intelligence gathering would later prove ineffective as a counter-insurgency strategy. Due to unproductive interrogation techniques, Commanding General Sanchez ordered the use of harsher interrogation techniques hoping to gain useful information on who the military was really fighting.Half of his proposed interrogation policy would be shut down by Centcom saying it was “unacceptably aggressive”These inhumane interrogation techniques, the random home searches, and other ineffective military tactics only proved to further damage their rapport with Iraqi locals, and would lead to the exposure of Abu Ghraib.
