The War On Terror. America’s History of Torture in War (Part 7).
Russia Is A Terrorist State: Part 2 (2000s)
The War On Terror. America’s History of Torture in War (Part 7).
“CIA Extraordinary Rendition and Detention Program - countries involved in the Program, according to the Open Society Foundation” by أبو تائب under CC BY-SA 4.0
The use of torture, waterboarding, and enhanced interrogation techniques during the War on Terror has been a contentious issue. During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump famously stated that he would support the use of waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques, arguing that the United States needed to "fight fire with fire" in its efforts to combat terrorism. In January 2017, the newly inaugurated President Donald Trump expressed his support for waterboarding, insisting that they "absolutely work" and that they were necessary for protecting the country. This sparked a debate, with some arguing that torture is necessary to gather intelligence and protect national security, while others argue that it is inhumane and ineffective.
However, many experts disagree with Trump's assessment. Studies have shown that torture is not an effective way to gather reliable intelligence. In January and February 2017, a number of articles and opinion pieces were published arguing that torture and waterboarding were not only ethically questionable, but also ineffective. One piece published by Science argued that torture actually hinders the ability to extract reliable information from suspects, as individuals under extreme duress are likely to say whatever they believe their interrogators want to hear, regardless of its veracity.
In fact, many detainees provided false information under duress. Similarly, a report in Nature found that torture "leads to fabricated information and can hamper subsequent intelligence gathering." Another article in Forbes noted that there was little empirical evidence to support the claim that torture produced actionable intelligence. According to a report by the Senate Intelligence Committee, the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques did not yield any significant intelligence breakthroughs.
Despite these findings, the use of torture has continued. The UN has repeatedly urged the US not to reinstate torture, including waterboarding, as it violates international human rights law. In December 2017, a UN investigator claimed that torture was still being carried out at Guantanamo Bay, despite being banned. This followed a report earlier in the year that found the CIA paid psychologists $81 million to develop torture techniques for use on terror suspects.
Reports have also highlighted the extent of torture and other enhanced interrogation techniques used on detainees at Guantanamo Bay, with many detainees reporting severe physical and psychological abuse. Psychologists involved in the CIA's "enhanced interrogation" program were paid millions to devise brutal tactics, and former detainees have launched lawsuits against the psychologists and the government. Despite being banned, the UN has claimed that torture is still being carried out at Guantanamo Bay, leading to further condemnation and calls for accountability.
Critics argue that the use of torture not only violates international law but also undermines American values and weakens the country's moral authority. The use of torture, waterboarding, and other enhanced interrogation techniques remains a contentious issue, with some arguing that they are necessary for national security while others argue that they are immoral and ineffective. However, the evidence suggests that torture is not an effective way to obtain reliable information and violates international law. As such, it is important for governments to abide by their legal and ethical obligations and find alternative methods for obtaining intelligence.
Written in part in collaboration with ChatGPT on March 28, 2023
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Putin Is A War Criminal
Russia Is A Terrorist State:
Part 1 (1990s)
Part 2 (2000s)
Part 3 (2011 - 2016)
Part 4 (2016 - 2019)
Part 5 (2020 - 2021)
Part 6: (2022+)
Sources for The War On Terror. America’s History of Torture in War (Part 7):
Mike Pompeo and the Question of Torture - The New Yorker January 12, 2017
Torture Suit May Bedevil Trump Waterboarding Campaign Pledge - Bloomberg January 19, 2017
Trump on waterboarding: ‘We have to fight fire with fire’ - CNN January 25, 2017
Donald Trump: Waterboarding “Absolutely” Works - DEADLINE January 25, 2017
Donald Trump says he believes waterboarding works - BBC News January 26, 2017
Donald Trump says torture ‘absolutely works’ – but does it? - CNN January 26, 2017
Donald Trump's Comments on Torture Provoke Harsh Reaction Abroad - NBC News January 26, 2017
Trump says torture 'works,' CIA disagrees - DW January 26, 2017
Trump on Torture, Again - FactCheck.org January 27, 2017
Scientists to Trump: Torture doesn't work - Science January 27, 2017
What is waterboarding, and who believes it works? - Los Angeles Times January 27, 2017
Was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed ‘waterboarded’ 183 times? - The Wasington Post February 6, 2017
‘Enhanced interrogations’ don’t work as well as regular ones - The Washington Post February 9, 2017
Dissecting Claims That Torture Works | Opinion - Forbes February 27, 2017
Torture does not work - nature March 8, 2017
Ex-Gitmo detainee on torture: "They broke me" - CBS News | 60 Minutes March 9, 2017
The Rule of Law Won’t Save Us - JACOBIN April 26, 2017
Q&A: Guantanamo Bay, US Detentions, and the Trump Administration - Human Rights Watch May 4, 2017
Trump administration moves to keep full CIA 'torture' report secret - Reuters June 2, 2017
Inside the CIA’s black site torture room - The Guardian October 9, 2017
U.N. expert says torture persists at Guantanamo Bay; U.S. denies - Reuters December 13, 2017
Torture techniques still practised at Guantanamo Bay, UN official claims - CBC December 13, 2017
US torture continues at Guantanamo Bay: UN - DW December 13, 2017