Lt. Ehren Watada: Why The Mistrial At His Court Martial?

What was behind the declaration of mistrial by the judge overseeing the court martial of Watada, who refused a combat role in the Iraq war? Different sources have different takes on the situation, but the one I read at Truthout comes as close to my understanding of events as any. Read the Watada trial analysis here, which I'd summarize as: Watada was presenting a much stronger case than anyone expected nor would Watada back down when efforts were made to try to elicit specific types of answers from him. Rather than risk that the military would lose the case (and the military RARELY loses), the judge declared a mistrial.

Even realizing that any military probably must present themselves as an entity that will not allow any disobedience, much less anyone trying to apply independent reason and individuality, I have come to have enormous respect for Lt. Watada and his decision NOT to go to Iraq to fight because he feels that war is unjust.

In fact, what too often goes undiscussed is the fact that - if I recall correctly - certain rules that came about after World War II and the Geneva Conventions - soldiers bear some responsibility in the decision to participate in war. The rules, no doubt, were originally designed to keep another Nazi regime from happening and to prevent any soldier from knowingly "just following orders", regardless of how inhumane or unjust.

We need ethical soldiers. We just do.

We only need to remember Abu Ghraib, what's happening at countless secret prisons as well as at Guantanamo Bay/Gitmo to detainees (only 10 of whom have ever been charged with any type of crime), to know what happens when soldiers "just follow orders." I do not believe that the abuses, torture, and deaths that come out of such places is just "a few bad apples" among the soldiers; I think the treatment is prescribed right from the top: Rumsfeld-then-Gates, and Bush-Cheney.

Watada did not, after all, refuse to serve the military at all. He was willing to go to Afghanistan (mind you, I don't believe our war there is very just either) as well as take other assignments. His specific issue was with Iraq.