Nightline 5/4: Have We Lost the Hearts and Minds? [View All]

 
Nightline Daily E-Mail
May 4, 2004


TONIGHT'S FOCUS: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld took questions at the Pentagon's daily briefing today on the fallout from the abuses perpetrated by American forces in the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. He promised to get to the bottom of the problem. He acknowledged that this incident is "deeply disturbing" and "in a fundamental way, it's harmful." How does the administration recover from this and move forward, towards any kind of handover to the Iraqis on June 30th? Has the U.S. lost the battle for the hearts and minds of the Iraqis?

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Reaction from Iraqis and the Arab world to the pictures of abused Iraqis prisoners was nothing short of fury, contempt and -- in some cases -- confirmation of deep-seeded suspicions. For many Iraqis, the photos offer proof of the way they see the American occupation and how the authorities regard the Iraqi people: with no respect. Some have gone so far to say that the incidents involving Iraqi detainees is proof that things have not changed that much since Saddam was defeated a year ago. They cite the abuses perpetrated by Hussein in the same prison for years, making the point that the Americans are no better and that life is no better for Iraqis. These opinions do not represent all Iraqis, by any means, but the play the pictures are getting on Arab satellite stations is loud and far-reaching.

So, is this the last straw in the hearts and minds battle? With 8 weeks left until the handover of authority from the Coalition Provisional Authority to an Iraqi interim government, how can that transition happen in a smooth and peaceful way if there is so little trust? Nightline correspondent John Donvan takes a look at the latest on the prison investigation and reactions from the Hill, the Pentagon, and Iraq. With the latest wrinkle in the administration's plans, are there lessons from history that show how long this kind of transition of power can take and how force is used to achieve stability?

Anchor Ted Koppel will lead a discussion about what the U.S. can do now to win any kind of support. And is the goal of a handover of authority possible by the deadline of June 30?

We hope you'll join us.

Gerry Holmes and the Nightline Staff
Nightline Offices
ABCNEWS Washington D.C.