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Review the case for torture
Advantages and disadvantages of torture
Advantages and disadvantages of torture
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Recommended: Review the case for torture
Is it morally right or is it wrong to use torture to gain information during interrogation of suspected terrorists or detainees? It is a difficult ethical question that people in the United States are debating. Our government implemented its initial anti-terrorism measures shortly after 9/11 attacks occurred. The United States has found a way to justify the use of torture on suspected terrorists. Despite opposition of the Constitution, international treaties and Supreme Court rulings, justification for using it was hidden behind the curtain of utilitarianism. One of the landmark Supreme Court decisions was from Brown v. Mississippi and it states, “These measures outweighed many individual rights, including due-process rights and the …show more content…
They have fought for years to abolish torture, but others still fight to use some forms of torture while they attempt keeping the peace. Whether you believe in using torture or not, it still is and will always be an ethical issue. Torture as defined by Jocelyn Pollock is “the deliberate infliction of violence and, through violence, severe mental and/or physical suffering upon individuals” (Pollock, 2014). Christopher Tindale is quoted by Bob Brecher in Torture and the Ticking Bomb, and his description of torture is “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from that person or a third person information or confession, punishing that person for an act committed or suspected to have been committed, or intimidation or dehumanizing that person or other persons” (Brecher, …show more content…
He states that anyone who is willing to plant a bomb is also likely to have undergone training to resist torture if caught. The “suspected terrorist” can buy necessary time to accomplish his goals by making his interrogators look somewhere else, giving misleading information which points to another suspect, or by completely denying it. Brian Ross, a writer for CBS news, reported that former and current intelligence officers and their supervisors “used enhanced interrogation techniques to gather intelligence information from detainees” (Ross, 2005). Intelligence officers describe having used “enhanced interrogation techniques” in bases in Northern Europe and Asia since 2002. There are six techniques used commonly. Most of the techniques are designed not to cause any permanent harm. They instill fear and
Ross, Brian and Richard Esposito. “CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described.” 18 Nov. 2005. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
Torture, as defined by the Oxford dictionary is the action of forcing a person to expose something through pain and suffering (“Definition of Torture in English”, 1). It has been a very effective means of extracting information. The practice of torture was originally used on slaves to increase productivity. It later proved to be an efficient approach to force individuals to disclose information. Many civilizations have used this practice throughout history, each with their own unique way. The Greeks used a technique known as the brazen bull. This approach consisted of a victim to be placed in an iron bull and steamed alive (Blinderman, 1). A very gruesome and agonizing approach but widely accepted at the time because it delivered results. Torture, though a controversial topic today, should be acceptable, because firstly, it can lead to the gathering crucial intelligence, secondly, it is a quick approach to gain said information, and finally, it is can be sanctioned in an ethical aspect.
Levin’s strategy of playing with the fears of people is genius, but, with more creditable details of the issue, the article would have sustained the scrutiny of more educated individuals. The addition of more concrete information, would have given people something to cling to, inherently improving the article's credibility. In Levin’s first instance, he depicts a scenario where a terrorist, who had placed an atomic bomb in the city, was captured. This atomic bomb is to explode in 2 hours if his demands are not met. Levin believes this is a situation in which torture is the only way of extracting the location of the bomb before it explodes.
Torture has historically been used and it is known to give security groups access to forced information. Civilisations such as the Egyptians, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans all used torture. Even the Church thought it to be acceptable. Torture was in fact used as part of various legal systems in the West until early on in the nineteenth century. However in the present day, terrorists are often trained not to crack under this pressure and may give out false information, which is a waste of time and resources. This means our security personnel could be torturing individuals or groups of people to try and extract information which could be unreliable. Using torture provides 'the enemy' with something they can exploit for propaganda. For example; according to Amnesty International, statistics show that American torture is Al Qaeda’s recruiting tool.
The issue of torture is nothing new. It was done in the past and it’s done now in the 21st century. Without saying one side is right and the other side is wrong, let us discuss the part that we agree on and find common ground. We as Americans want to protect Americans from harms. So how do we prevent that from happening without torturing? It is impossible to get answer without some sort of questioning and intimidation techniques, since we know captured prisoners during war are not easily going to give up information. We know the enemy we face doesn’t follow the Geneva Convention or any law that pertains to war, so does that mean we shouldn’t also follow the Geneva Convention also, which prohibits torture? Of course not, because we want to be example for the world. Republicans argue that we have to do whatever is necessary to keep Americans safe, and Democrats argue it goes against our values and makes us look bad. We as Americans, as leader of the free world we
Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, were used in previous administrations. The techniques were considered at the very least to be cruel and inhuman. Among these are attention strikes and stress positions. The techniques violate human rights as well as detainee rights. There are few serious arguments for the retention of enhanced interrogation. The most compelling is the "ticking time bomb theory." This theory is in fact based on logical fallacy. An executive order has banned the use of enhanced interrogation. It is the position of this summary that the current ban remain in effect.
Enhanced interrogation methods include hypothermia, stress positions, waterboarding, and sleep deprivation. In each of these cases there have been studies such as, the one concocted by Dr. Allen Keller, of Bellevue NYU Program for Survivors of Torture. Dr. Keller once said, “Some victims were still traumatized years later. A man who had experienced waterboarding couldn’t take showers and panics when it rains.” In January 22, 2009, President Obama, signed an executive order that requires both the U.S. military and paramilitary organizations to use the Army Field Manual as the guide of getting information from prisoners, moving widely away from the Bush administration tactics. In this manual none of these enhanced interrogation methods are acceptable. If indeed, any person or persons were caught using any of these outlawed interrogation methods, they would be subject to a fine of 10,000 dollars and a life term of imprisonment. This is true even if you showed the intent to commit torture, but never actually committed the crime. If there is sufficient evidence to prove intent, then you are subject to 25 years of imprisonment. The means to not justify the necessity when it comes to enhanced interrogation. It can lead to false information, if someone is falsely accused of a crime and therefore detained by the military with no evidence and then tortured; in most scenarios an innocent person will admit to their accusation to avoid the undeniable pain of torture. There has to be due process and torture should and never will be the answer. All in all, enhanced interrogation is a technique used to induce information from possible suspects; however, this technique is immoral in ways such as, but not limited to, impacting the victims life, f...
Torture can prevent the attacks resulting in terror or can go and prove no one, no one can infringe the right of Americans in the result of another attack, and therefore torture is justifiable. The similarities between ISIS and Al Qaeda is scary and torture needs to be in the back pocket of all officials to prevent similar disasters. The clock stopped ticking on 9-11, and anyone on the street can tell oneself where they were the minute they heard. The use of torture could save the lives of thousands, send the message that America is in charge, and can become more commonly accepted in the eyes of disaster. A ticking bomb could be going off at any time, it could destroy a spouse, a son, a daughter, a friend, a neighbor, or maybe the threat is to oneself, torture could get the information to destroy the bomb before it destroys one’s life. Torture is justifiable.
All in all, enhanced interrogation can be an effective and acceptable means of gathering information that has been shown to protect the lives of U.S. citizens. Though similar in that enhanced interrogation methods and torture force information from captured individuals, they are different because their motives are different as are the degree of actions used. Through the CIA enhanced interrogations, many plots against the U.S. and other countries have been stopped. The arguments for and against enhanced interrogation techniques come down to the firm belief that the U.S. must have a higher standard of its interrogation methods so that it is not guilty of torture.
With the threats to the United States by foreign nations, techniques such as the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques(EITs) were created. These techniques were developed by the CIA which eventually became integrated into the culture of the United States. Along with the creation of EIT came the debate about the morality of their use in the country. The Enhanced Interrogation Techniques were meant to retrieve important information from prisoners. The idea of “enhanced interrogation techniques’ that would allow the United States to get prisoners to provide accurate information without torturing them” (Risen 177).
The Secretary of Defense felt like their department was no longer effective and sought for the ability and legal reconstruction to allow the defense department to use “Enhanced Interrogation Methods” to achieve their end goals. Different strategies could be used, but this requires a defining of what torture truly is. Torture is generally conceived as a severe pain, whether physical or mental, inflicted on a body. This was later described to include the intent to inflict the pain by John Yoo and how one describes severe pain as the description of torture. The different ways of torturing a person include some methods developed by the Soviets, and include isolation from other people and sleep deprivation.
In the recent years the CIA have been getting questions based on the laws and policies they face when dealing with enhance interrogation. Even though the CIA concluded that torture was not authorized and that it would not be accepted, it has come out that they still practice it (Blakeley, 547). At a press conference, John Brennan talked about these practices. Brennan announced that the CIA is aware they have failed to follow the guidelines and they used unauthorized techniques. He then assured us that it was only a select few officers are guilty of using the unauthorized techniques (Brenan, 2014). After the 9/11 attacks and the outbreak of enhanced interrogation, many people are starting to question the CIA about tel the truth about using such
At first glance, Utilitarian moral theories may seem to support the idea of torturing this innocent man. If we look at this situation we see that there is a dilemma of hurting one man, or having to bear the death of many. We may say that since the basis of Utilitarianism is to do what is best for the greater good, then there is no question that we would torture this one man so that we may save thousands. Take a step back and look at this situation from another angle. What truly is the greater good here? Let us focus on the idea that “if punishing John will do no good, then John should go free” (Pojman, 2002, p.109). What is the chance that a captured soldier is going to give away the secret location of the bomb? It is highly likely he has been trained not to speak under any circumstances. If he does not speak then you have just diminished utility for every single person involved.
Around the world and around the clock, human rights violations seem to never cease. In particular, torture violations are still rampant all over the world. One regime, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, establishes a strong elaboration of norms against torture. Despite its efforts, many countries still outright reject its policies against torture while other countries openly accept them, but surreptitiously still violate them. The US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia have all failed to end torture despite accepting the provisions of the Convention.
From a moral standpoint, torture is wrong and unacceptable. Many religious people are against this act of violence because they see it as a violation of the dignity of a human being. Humans have the right to not have intentional harm upon themselves from others. The ban on torture furthermore supports this certain right. Not only does torture violate people’s rights, but they also violate the demands of justice. In the past, many of our nation’s people have been tortured and we have had a problem with it; but when it’s not you the one that is being tortured, it seems to be fine. Have you heard of the golden rule, “Treat others only as you consent to being treated in the same situation? (7)” This applies very well to this problem.