The War On Terror. America’s Use of Torture in War (Part 2).
Russia Is A Terrorist State: Part 2 (2000s)
The War On Terror. America’s Use of Torture in War (Part 2).
“People hoping for change at the Guantanamo and Bagram detention facilities. The White House, Washington, DC” by mike_benedetti under CC BY 2.0
The War on Terror, initiated in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, led to the use of controversial interrogation methods, including torture and waterboarding. Despite international and domestic criticism, such practices continued. The following analysis draws from various sources, including news articles, opinion pieces, reports, and official documents, to provide a comprehensive overview of the usage of torture and enhanced interrogation techniques during the War on Terror.
The United Nations accused the United States of torturing detainees at Guantanamo Bay in a 2006 report. According to the report, some methods used, such as prolonged isolation and exposure to extreme temperatures, amounted to torture. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also published a report in the same year that detailed the torture and cruel treatment of detainees by the US government at home and abroad. The report documented specific instances of physical and psychological abuse, including waterboarding, which the ACLU considered torture. The same year, Fox News correspondent Clayton Morris expressed support for waterboarding as an "efficient mechanism to get someone to talk" and as a way to keep detainees "alive and healthy within minutes."
In 2006, German national Murat Kurnaz, who was detained for five years at Guantanamo Bay without charges, accused US authorities of torturing him. Kurnaz claimed that he was beaten, hung from the ceiling, and waterboarded repeatedly. FBI files released in 2007 supported Kurnaz's claims, as they detailed the use of torture tactics at Guantanamo Bay. The US government faced criticism over such practices, prompting a debate on the legality and morality of torture and enhanced interrogation techniques.
One article from 2007 in The Atlantic highlighted the history and euphemisms surrounding torture, including the Nazi term "verschärfte Vernehmung," which translates to "enhanced interrogation." Another article from The New Yorker detailed the existence of secret CIA "black sites" in which high-level detainees were subjected to torture and abuse. NBC News reported in the same year that three al-Qaeda officials were subjected to waterboarding. The Economist explored the question of whether torture could ever be justified, with some arguing that it was necessary to extract information to prevent future terrorist attacks. However, the same article pointed out that torture is not only morally wrong but also often ineffective and counterproductive.
“Navy guard shows a cell in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Cuba” under public domain by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeff Johnstone
Despite the controversy, the US government continued to defend the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, with former President George W. Bush stating in 2007 that the US "does not torture people." However, The New York Times revealed in the same year that the US government had secretly endorsed the use of severe interrogation techniques, including waterboarding. The Guardian published a glossary of US military torture euphemisms, including "enhanced techniques" and "sleep management," which only served to obscure the brutal reality of such practices.
In 2008, the US Department of Justice published a report on torture and the Fifth Amendment, which concluded that the use of torture violated the constitutional values of the US. The report also noted that the Global War on Terror had led to an erosion of legal and ethical standards, including the use of enhanced interrogation techniques. Despite these findings, President Bush vetoed a bill that would have banned waterboarding. ABC News reported that top Bush advisors had approved the use of enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, on high-level detainees.
Various news outlets and opinion pieces explored the nature of waterboarding and whether it constituted torture. An article from salon argued that waterboarding was not merely simulated drowning but actual drowning. A journalist from Vanity Fair, who underwent waterboarding for a firsthand account, wrote that there was no doubt that it was torture. A piece from howstuffworks provided a detailed explanation of waterboarding and its history.
The Obama administration discontinued the use of enhanced interrogation techniques in January 2009. The administration released four Bush administration memos detailing the legal rationale for the use of the techniques. The memos have since been heavily criticized, with some arguing that they provided legal cover for torture.
“Birds sit on the concertina wire overlooking detainees at the Joint Task Force Guantanamo as they observe morning prayer before sunrise inside Camp Delta Oct.28. Detainees at the JTF are afforded the opportunity to pray five times each day and are provided prayer rugs and copies of the Quran” under public domain by Petty Officer 1st Class Marcos Hernandez.
The issue of torture and enhanced interrogation techniques remains a controversial topic, with proponents arguing that they are necessary to extract information from terrorists and opponents arguing that they are illegal and ineffective. The use of these techniques during the War on Terror raises important questions about the limits of interrogation methods, the role of international law, and the role of psychologists and medical professionals in these practices.
In conclusion, the War on Terror was marked by the use of torture, waterboarding, and enhanced interrogation techniques by the United States government. The use of these techniques was controversial and raised important ethical and legal questions about the treatment of detainees, the role of medical professionals, and the limits of interrogation methods. While proponents argue that these techniques were necessary to extract information from terrorists, opponents argue that they were illegal, ineffective, and violated human rights. The legacy of the War on Terror and the use of these techniques remains a contentious issue and underscores the importance of upholding international law and human rights standards in the fight against terrorism.
Written in part in collaboration with ChatGPT on March 24, 2023
Previous: The War On Terror. America’s Use of Torture (Part 1).
Next: The War On Terror. America’s Use of Torture in War (Part 3).
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 Use of Torture in War (Part 2):
U.N.: U.S. tortures Guantanamo detainees - NBC News February 13, 2006
'High-Value' Detainees Transferred to Guantanamo - ABC News September 6, 2006
The Corrupting Power of Torture | Opinion - NPR September 25, 2006
Kurnaz Relives Torture - DW November 14, 2006
FBI files detail Guantánamo torture tactics - The Guardian January 3, 2007
Torture Allegations - DW January 18, 2007
"Verschärfte Vernehmung" - The Atlantic May 29, 2007
The Black Sites - The New Yorker August 5, 2007
Waterboarding used on 3 al-Qaida officials - NBC News September 13, 2007
Is torture ever justified? - The Economist September 20, 2007
Guantanamo's Shadow - The Atlantic October 2007
Secret U.S. Endorsement of Severe Interrogations - The New York Times October 4, 2007
Bush says U.S. ‘does not torture people’ - NBC News October 5, 2007
CIA torture film hopes to shine light on "rendition" - Reuters October 21, 2007
Ace interrogator: “Waterboarding is torture… period.” - Foreign Policy October 30, 2007
Roosevelt was right: Waterboarding wrong - POLITICO October 31, 2007
Waterboarding: A Tortured History - NPR November 3, 2007
Just How Bad Is Waterboarding? - NPR November 8, 2007
Waterboarding is not simulated drowning -- it is drowning - salon November 9, 2007
White House Mum On Destroyed CIA Tapes - CBS News December 10, 2007
Water-boarding as torture - or not - BBC News December 11, 2007
A glossary of US military torture euphemisms - The Guardian December 12, 2007
“Pernicious and Troubling” - BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE December 20, 2007
Self-Waterboarding: An Experiment - The Atlantic December 23, 2007
Waterboarding would be torture: US intelligence chief - ABC News Australia January 13, 2008
Waterboarding is legal, White House says - Los Angeles Times February 7, 2008
US Senate votes to outlaw CIA waterboarding - France 24 February 14, 2008
Waterboarding is illegal, says US justice department official - The Guardian February 14, 2008
THE WATER CURE - THE NEW YORKER February 17, 2008
Bush vetoes bill banning waterboarding - NBC News March 7, 2008
Bush vetoes waterboarding ban - Al Jazeera March 9, 2008
Waterboarding - The New York Times March 9, 2008
The Torture Veto - The Nation March 13, 2008
What Is Water Boarding? - howstuffworks March 21, 2008
THE GREEN LIGHT - VANITY FAIR April 2, 2008
John Yoo Interrogation Memo | OP-ED - BROOKINGS April 5, 2008
Sources: Top Bush Advisors Approved 'Enhanced Interrogation' - ABC News April 9, 2008
Q&A: Torture and 'enhanced interrogation' - The Guardian April 18, 2008
Welcome to 'the disco' - The Guardian June 18, 2008
Guantanamo detainees were tortured, medical exams show - BBC News June 18, 2008
BELIEVE ME, IT’S TORTURE - VANITY FAIR July 2, 2008
China Inspired Interrogations at Guantánamo - The New York Times July 2, 2008
BELIEVE ME, IT’S TORTURE - VANITY FAIR July 2, 2008
No doubt it's torture, says U.S. journalist after trying waterboarding - CBC July 8, 2008
Commentary: Counterinsurgency and torture - U.S. Army July 28, 2008
The long, dark war - The Economist July 31, 2008
Psychologists and Guantanamo - NPR August 19, 2008
Waterboarding of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - Military.com December 17, 2008
U.S. official says Guantanamo detainee was tortured - Reuters January 14, 2009
AG Nominee: Waterboarding Is Torture - CBS News January 15, 2009
U.S. closes door on Guantanamo, torture - The Denver Post January 22, 2009
Obama signs order to close Guantanamo Bay Facility - CNN January 22, 2009
Cancel Water-Boarding 101 - SLATE January 29, 2009
"The Foundation of Interrogation" Is Rapport, Not Torture - Wilson Center February 25, 2009
U.S. government vows not to use "waterboarding" - Reuters March 2, 2009
FACTBOX: What is waterboarding? - Reuters March 2, 2009
Bush Torture Memo Approved Use of Insects - TIME April 16, 2009
Waterboarding: A Mental and Physical Trauma - TIME April 20, 2009
Report Details Pentagon Role in Torture Tactics - TIME April 21, 2009
Memo: Two al Qaeda leaders waterboarded 266 times - CNN April 22, 2009
Public Remains Divided Over Use of Torture - Pew Research Center April 23, 2009
Can You Get Used to Being Water-Boarded? - SLATE April 23, 2009
Yes, We Did Execute Japanese Soldiers for Waterboarding American POWs - Mother Jones April 27, 2009
Pelosi playing defense on torture - POLITICO April 27, 2009
Slim Majority Wants Bush-Era Interrogations Investigated - GALLUP April 27, 2009
Teddy and the "water cure" - The Philadelphia Inquirer May 1, 2009
Does Waterboarding Have Long-term Physical Effects? - SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN May 1, 2009
How Torture Helped Win WWII - DAILY BEAST May 13, 2009
Responsible interrogation - nature May 20, 2009
The torture debate - The Christian Science Monitor May 21, 2009
Pelosi’s Tortured Denials - FactCheck.org May 21, 2009
Has Consulting Firm For CIA Gone MIA? - ProPublica May 27, 2009
Bush defends interrogation program in Michigan speech - CNN May 29, 2009
Harsh Interrogation Techniques or Torture? - NPR June 21, 2009
The American Way Of Torture - The Atlantic August 26, 2009
Looking Forward, Not Backward: Refining American Interrogation Law - BROOKINGS May 10, 2009
Waterboarding provides method of torture without a trace - The Times June 10, 2009
CAN AMERICA CALL MEXICO OUT ON ALLEGED TORTURE USE? - VANITY FAIR July 9, 2009
U.S. DOES WATERBOARD SOLDIERS BUT IT'S DIFFERENT - Tampa Bay Times September 5, 2009
Neuroscience:Torture Doesn't Work and Here's Why - Newsweek September 20, 2009
How torture may inhibit accurate confessions - SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN September 21, 2009
Torture Can't Provide Good Information, Argues Neuroscientist - Science September 21, 2009
Waterboarding Doesn't Work, Scientists Say - WIRED September 21, 2009
Pop stars demand details of Guantanamo music 'torture' - Independent October 22, 2009