Imitation...

... is the sincerest form of flattery. Or so they say. Everyone knows about Guantanamo Bay by now, but according to to an article in today's New York Times, the American "interrogation" techniques were copied directly from the Chinese.

The military trainers who came to Guantanamo Bay in December 2002 based an entire interrogation class on a [Chinese Communist] chart showing the effects of “coercive management techniques” for possible use on prisoners, including “sleep deprivation,” “prolonged constraint,” and “exposure.”

Should make it a little harder for Americans to criticize, I guess. Though I'd bet that it still won't discourage them from doing so. Isn't there some sort of old proverb about how you can't help others until you help yourself?