I'm sure torture was used by ALL SIDES in vietnam, WWII, WW1, and every war before that.
We just didn't have "embedded" reporters, google satellite view, idiots tweeting in the middle of gun battles, etc.
In the past, we'd all live our lives and never know about GITMO. There would be no cell camera pics of abu ghirab prisoner abuse. We'd never hear about waterboarding or any of this, it would just happen, and it'd be WAY more brutal, given the lack of oversight.