Legalities

A comment on Political Animal suggests that this is an opportunity to prove the superiority of western democracy - because:

A) In a free society like the U.S., such governmental misconduct can be exposed by the press, and,

B) Swift and severe punishment awaits the perpetrators.

I think Lt Calley disproves this to some extent... but worse, some of those involved are mercenaries and may slip through the legal cracks. It's happened before, in Bosnia, where DynCorp employees bought and "owned" teenage sex-slaves. As mercenaries, they were not subject to US military jurisdiction; as American contractors, they weren't subject to Bosnian civil jurisdiction; and they weren't subject to the US courts either. They lost their jobs, but no-one could be prosecuted. So far, there's no indication that the US has plugged this little loophole and made mercenaries legally accountable for their actions.