Torture and atrocities asside, I'd imagine most organized crime syndicates run tighter ships (eg. the standard dissolve the bodies of torture victims + kill the "torture service providers" too at regular intervals then re-recruit new ones etc.) ...this seem so beyond sloppy it's clearly a political s throwing play.
The difference is the CIA doesn't care about making money. They're secret police gone wild. They have no financial, legal or moral constraints, and the results were wholly predictable.
Often what we see, in the military machine is ugly. No surprise.
It is not that the American military are worse, the problem is they are more powerful.
(As I have commented elsewhere here) It is possible for the Americans to be a beacon of light in a dark world. It is a choice for them.
They have chosen the path of darkness. Such a waste
Well, nothing except:
1 - make lots of enemies
2 - make the world a more dangerous place
3 - lose the moral high ground and the respect of people/countries who might have otherwise been friends
These things have consequences... measured in American lives (which are, sadly, the only kind of lives some people care about)... but also in many other lives.
That's not exaggeration. Those are the stakes America is fucking around with by provoking the world like this and spooking the shit out of everyone.
Power corrupts.
I would say though that in terms of the ratio between self praise and evil shit, there's a very clear winner way, way out in front.
If we have learned anything from the past 2 years, its not even all American lives. Some American lives are treated with utmost care while others barely register a blip on their radar.