A reader responds to an earlier reader :

[The earlier reader writes:] “If country X doesn’t torture people and its people are captured by country Y which tortures them, country X will have more sympathy from the world, and consequently there will be more pressure on country Y, than if country X does torture people.” Let’s say Country X is the United States, and Country Y is North Korea or North Vietnam. What EXACTLY was the practical benefit to the United States during the Korean and Vietnam wars of this “sympathy from the world” when North Korea and North Vietnam tortured our prisoners? ZERO! In fact, liberals around the world denied that our guys were being tortured, or said our guys had it coming. And what EXACTLY did we gain from this supposed “pressure” from the world on North Korea and North Vietnam? NOTHING! This “pressure” did not shorten either war by one day, move us any closer to our goals, or even significantly ease the plight of our prisoners. In real life, as we have seen many times, things will turn out precisely the opposite from what this writer argues. The actual “world sympathy” will be for poor little Country Y, and the actual pressure will be against Country X to stop its genocidal, unprovoked imperialist aggression against innocent Country Y.