Knowing the right thing to do in a conflict situation is only one part of solving the problem. The right thing to do also has to be actually done. Both are essential. What are the challenges that make it difficult to do what's right? What beclouds our clarity about the right thing to do? What hamstrings our ability or saps our courage to do that thing? How do circumstances, rationalization, or socialization conspire against us? What can we do to overcome them? Especially in a military environment in which not everyone has access to all the same information and decisions have to be made in high-stakes, time-compressed situations, do we want our troops to be morally responsible, or do we want them to do what they are told? 

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CASE STUDY

Abu Ghraib

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Phil Zimbardo - Prison Experiment

As you explore the case studies and watch the video, consider the following:

1. What does Phil Zimbardo believe about human evil? Are human beings born good and they turn bad? Does something else happen to make them go bad? What is that thing -- or, what are those things?
2. What is role that power plays in the doing of evil? Is power good or bad?
3. Where do you see power -- or the abuse of power -- at play in the two case studies?
4. At one level, the two case studies are very different. But in what way are there similarities? What do each scenario have in common?