The War On Terror. America’s History of Torture in War (Part 6).
Russia Is A Terrorist State: Part 2 (2000s)
The War On Terror. America’s History of Torture in War (Part 6).
“Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American businessman, television personality, author, politician, and the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election. He is chairman of The Trump Organization, which is the principal holding company for his real estate ventures and other business interests” by Michael Vadon under CC BY-SA 4.0
The War on Terror that began after the 9/11 attacks sparked debates over the use of torture, waterboarding, and enhanced interrogation techniques. The first article in this analysis, "The Strategic Costs of Torture," published in Foreign Affairs, points out that the use of torture damages the United States' standing in the world and undermines its efforts to combat terrorism. The author suggests that torture is not an effective interrogation technique, as detainees may provide false information to stop the pain, and the information extracted through torture is not credible. The author concludes that torture is a poor policy choice as it does not provide long-term solutions and increases the risk of retaliation against the US.
The ACLU's article, "Guantánamo Transcripts Give Firsthand Accounts of CIA Torture," provides accounts of detainees who were subjected to waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and other torture techniques while in US custody. These accounts illustrate the inhumane and brutal treatment inflicted on detainees and the physical and psychological harm caused by torture. The article argues that torture is illegal under domestic and international law, and those responsible for it should be held accountable for their actions.
In "On torture, Cruz stands alone," POLITICO reports on the Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz's support for the use of enhanced interrogation techniques. Cruz argues that these techniques are not torture and that they provide valuable information to protect the US from terrorist attacks. However, this position is not shared by many experts in the field who believe that torture is not effective and is a violation of human rights.
The same publication later reported on Cruz's comments that waterboarding is not torture. In "Cruz: Waterboarding is not torture," Cruz reiterated his position on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques. He argued that waterboarding is not torture as it does not inflict significant harm or cause lasting physical damage.
“U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas speaking at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland” by Gage Skidmore under CC BY-SA 2.0
Donald Trump, another Republican presidential candidate, called for the use of waterboarding and other "tougher" methods to fight the Islamic State, as reported in "Donald Trump calls for waterboarding, other 'tougher' methods in US fight against Islamic State" by ABC News Australia. In "Donald Trump Wants to Reclassify Waterboarding So It’s No Longer a War Crime for Him to Order It," New York Magazine | Intelligencer reports on Trump's proposal to reclassify waterboarding so that it is no longer considered a war crime, allowing him to order its use without fear of legal repercussions.
In "Global opinion varies widely on use of torture against suspected terrorists," the Pew Research Center reports on a survey that shows opinions on torture vary widely across countries and regions. The survey reveals that a majority of Americans believe that torture is justified in some circumstances, such as preventing terrorist attacks.
The Economist's "Presidential candidates compete over their embrace of torture" reports on the 2016 US presidential election, during which candidates took positions on the use of torture and enhanced interrogation techniques. The article suggests that the debate over torture has become politicized, and candidates are using the issue to appeal to voters.
In "Fact-Check: Could The Next President Bring Back Waterboarding?," NPR examines whether a future president could reinstate the use of waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques. The article explains the legal and practical barriers to implementing such policies.
The use of torture degrades America's standing in the world, argues the USA Today article "Use of torture degrades America’s standing: #tellusatoday." The author suggests that torture is a moral issue and that the US should not use it as a tool of foreign policy.
In "Science Shows That Torture Doesn't Work and Is Counterproductive," Newsweek reports on scientific evidence that torture is ineffective as an interrogation technique. The article argues that torture leads to unreliable information and causes long-term psychological harm to the detainee.
In December 2016, as President-elect Donald Trump was preparing to take office, there was much speculation about his position on torture and whether he would resume the use of techniques like waterboarding. Some experts argued that such tactics were illegal, ineffective, and unethical, while others claimed that they were necessary for gathering intelligence and preventing terrorism.
“DC Guantanamo Protest Jan 2015” by Debra Sweet under CC BY 2.0
One of the most vocal proponents of torture was Republican senator and former presidential candidate Ted Cruz, who argued that waterboarding was not torture and should be used on suspected terrorists. Other candidates, including Democrat Hillary Clinton, opposed the use of torture and called for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
In the months following Trump's inauguration, there were reports that his administration was considering resuming the use of enhanced interrogation techniques. However, these plans were met with widespread opposition from human rights groups, legal experts, and even some members of the military and intelligence community.
In April 2016, then-CIA Director John Brennan announced that the agency would not engage in waterboarding or other forms of torture, even if ordered to do so by the president. Brennan cited both legal and moral reasons for this decision, arguing that torture was not only illegal but also counterproductive and harmful to America's national security.
Despite this stance, Trump continued to express support for waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics. In November 2016, he even suggested that he would consider appointing a pro-torture advocate to head the CIA.
Ultimately, Trump backed away from his earlier support for torture and did not pursue the resumption of enhanced interrogation techniques during his presidency. However, the debate over the use of torture during the War on Terror remains a controversial and divisive issue in American politics and society.
Written in part in collaboration with ChatGPT on March 28, 2023
Previous: The War On Terror. America’s Use of Torture (Part 5).
Next: The War On Terror. America’s Use of Torture in War (Part 7).
Return to start: Profile In Focus | The War On Terror. America’s Use of Torture
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 6):
The Strategic Costs of Torture - Foreign Affairs January 1, 2016
Guantánamo Transcripts Give Firsthand Accounts of CIA Torture - ACLU January 16, 2016
On torture, Cruz stands alone - POLITICO January 21, 2016
Cruz: Waterboarding is not torture - POLITICO February 6, 2016
Presidential candidates compete over their embrace of torture - The Economist February 13, 2016
Fact-Check: Could The Next President Bring Back Waterboarding? - NPR February 13, 2016
Use of torture degrades America’s standing: #tellusatoday - USA Today February 17, 2016
French judge summons former Guantanamo chief in torture probe - France 24 February 18, 2016
'It Was Torture': An Abu Ghraib Interrogator Acknowledges 'Horrible Mistakes' - NPR April 4, 2016
CIA Director Says No More Waterboarding - VOA News April 11, 2016
Donald Trump: CIA director ‘ridiculous’ on waterboarding - USA Today April 11, 2016
CIA Director Says He Refuses to Bring Back Waterboarding - TIME April 11, 2016
Science Shows That Torture Doesn't Work and Is Counterproductive - Newsweek May 8, 2016
Dunford Again Calls Torture and Waterboarding Un-American - Military.com March 17, 2016
Prisoner tells of ‘mental torture’ in secret Guantanamo camp - AP News June 2, 2016
Newly Released CIA Documents Cite Invaluable Interrogation Program - VOA News June 15, 2016
Inside the CIA’s Penal Colonies - JACOBIN July 27, 2016
CIA Torture Techniques Harm Interrogators As Well - Psychology Today August 18, 2016
Guantanamo detainee believed to have been tortured asks to be freed - CNN August 23, 2016
A Man Wrongly Tortured for 9/11 Remains in Guantanamo - TIME September 8, 2016
US: Ex-Detainees Describe Unreported CIA Torture - Human Rights Watch October 3, 2016
Trump Backer Pushes for New CIA ‘Enhanced Interrogation’ - DAILY BEAST November 14, 2016
Trump backs off support of waterboarding - Air Force Times November 23, 2016
Donald Trump Faces Obstacles to Resuming Waterboarding - The New York Times November 28, 2016
3 charts that show how Americans feel about torture - Marketwatch December 6, 2016
Obama v Trump on Guantanamo and torture | Opinion - AL Jazeera December 16, 2016
CIA contractor: Enhanced interrogation techniques ‘saved lives’ - CNN December 17, 2016