Blog Post 8: Torture

Torture is something that sparks a lot of controversy. Some people find the use of torture to be acceptable because it can help save many lives. Others find it to be inhumane and oppose the use of torture. I will give an explanation of torture, waterboarding and discuss whether torture is humane or not. Through this explanation and discussion I hope that a better understanding of torture is achieved.

According to Seumas Miller, torture is: (a) the intentional infliction of extreme physical suffering on some non-consenting, defenceless person; (b) the intentional, substantial curtailment of the exercise of the person's autonomy (achieved by means of (a)); (c) in general, undertaken for the purpose of breaking the victim's will. Torture inflicts extreme pain and suffering on the individual that is being tortured. The reason to torture is to break the person’s will in order to get a confession or information. It can also be used to simply punish the person. If this is true, torture is a means to punish someone. Is it cruel and unusual punishment? I think that many would say that it is.

According to Tom Boice, waterboarding causes suffocation and water inhalation, simulating drowning. This interrogation technique has the person strapped to a flat surface at a slight angle where their feet are above their head. The interrogator will force water into the mouth and nose of the person while questioning them. This will trigger a gag reflex that makes the experience more terrifying and makes the person feel like they are really drowning. This form of torture can seem so real to the person that it can actually cause physical harm, psychological harm and death. While going through this, they struggle and as a result, bones can be broken. Water is constantly forced down their mouth and nose, which can cause damage to the lungs. All of this can cause extreme pain and suffering for the person that is going through it.

Is torture ever an acceptable practice? Is it inhumane? These have been questions asked for a long time. At the heart of all this we are asking whether torture can be morally justified. As I said before, some people say it is because it can save the lives of many people. Others believe that we are all born with inalienable human rights that protect us from things like torture. According to Jonathan White, the UN Declaration of Human Rights says that no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This would mean that torture is not an acceptable practice and that it is inhumane.

For me, torture can never be justified. The reason I say this is: to do these things to another person, you need to become something that isn’t human. A human being is someone that respects the rights of others, that acts with compassion and does things that are just. Torture does none of these things. I believe a lot of people resort to torture because they like to harm others. They enjoy the power and control they have over the person. It isn’t about justice; it is about making a person suffer. The things done to the people at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib are fine examples. A lot of the people there were suspected terrorists. There was no real proof that they were terrorists. This would mean that many of the people that were tortured were innocent. The people who did these things to those people did not care about innocence. This is more than enough reason to not use torture. When we do use it, we become beasts and there are better ways to get information or confessions without resorting to something that is inhuman.

Works Cited: Boice, Tom. Waterboarding: It’s not a summer sport. UWF Book Club. 2008. Retrieved from: http://www.uwf.edu/bookclub/waterboarding.html

Miller, Seumas. Torture. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2008. Retrieved from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/torture/

White, Jonathan R. Terrorism and Homeland Security. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA 2009.

Blog Post 7: Extraordinary Rendition and "Ghost Detainees"

Extraordinary rendition and “ghost detainees” are subjects that are unknown to a lot of people. I first learned about them earlier this year. When I found out what they were about, I was shocked to hear what occurs when a person is taken under these practices. I will explain the subjects of extraordinary rendition and “ghost detainees.” This should give a good description of what they are all about

According to Sharla Cook, extraordinary rendition is a government policy where terror suspects are transferred from U.S. control into the control of foreign governments so that interrogation methods that are not permitted under U.S. law may be applied to the suspects. The only legal action needed for rendition is suspicion that one is involved in terrorism. Once that is established, that person could be taken into custody. Many of the people taken into custody are innocent but are arrested because suspicion is the only thing needed. Using probable cause increases the chance of actual terrorists being arrested instead of innocent people.

Dan Edge from Frontline says the organization responsible for this form of indefinite detention was the CIA. The CIA would arrest these suspects; they would be bound, gagged and hooded. They would be dressed in a diaper and a jumpsuit. According to Dan Edge, they would be put onto a plane and tied down like enemy combatants. Then, they were taken by plane to a secret location. Upon arrival, they were taken off the plane and driven to the CIA facility. Once there, they were tossed in a cell, alone and shackled. While at these places, they would be left in darkness for days. Dan Edge says that they would be tortured, beaten and sexually assaulted to get intelligence. After awhile, they may be transported to other sites to try and get more information. Dan Edge said that these sites were known as “black sites.” To check the video out go here and watch the three segments.

When apprehended, these people just disappear. I mean they are pretty much kidnapped by the CIA. Some of them disappear completely and they become what is known as “ghost detainees.” John T. Parry explains “ghost detainees” as people who are secretly held and interrogated by the United States or its allies in undisclosed locations and who are outside the protections of domestic or international law in any practical sense. “Ghost detainees” and rendition are issues that are closely related to one another because the detainees are created by the practice of rendition itself. According to John T. Parry, the CIA and other intelligence agencies have custody of up to 100 ‘high value’ detainees held ‘off the books’ in unknown locations.

Rendition and “ghost detainees” are illegal practices. These people are tortured in many different ways and most aren’t even terrorists. If they were terrorists many would say torture is fine because they could give information that could save lives. However, it is my opinion that people need to practice humane treatment of one another. There are many ways to get information without becoming like them. We cannot allow ourselves to become the enemy to beat the enemy. If we do this, we cannot be sure that we do not punish the wrong people. To punish the right people is fine but to harm the innocent is wrong. With that said, illegal and inhumane practices should be removed from society.

Works Cited: Cook, Sharla. CRJ 132: Violence and Terrorism notes. CSUS. 2009. Chapter 17, Detection and Surveillance, and Detention and Treatment of Prisoners.

Edge, Dan. “Extraordinarily Rendition.” 6 November 2007. Online video clip. Pbs.org. Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frow03p29&continuous=1

Parry, John T. "The Shape of Modern Torture: Extraordinary Rendition and Ghost Detainees." [2005] MelbJIL 19; (2005) 6(2) Melbourne Journal of International Law 516. Retrieved from: http://kirra.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MelbJIL/2005/19.html#_Ref115180538

Blog Post 6: Force Multipliers

According to Jonathan White, force multipliers are used by terrorists to increases striking power without increasing the strength of a unit. This would mean that force multipliers could create the illusion of higher strength. There are four force multipliers: technology, media, transnational support and religion. Technology can increase the power of a terrorist unit in many ways. Some of the ways it would be done is through cyberterrorism and the use of weapons of mass destruction. According to White, cyberterrorism refers to the use of computers to attack technological targets or physical attacks on computer networks. Weapons of mass destruction would be biological agents, chemical and radiological weapons. Biological weapons allow terrorists to kill people with poisons, toxins, viruses, bacteria and plagues. Chemical weapons are nerve agents, blood agents, choking agents and blistering agents. Radiological weapons can produce burns, contamination and health problems. The most feared of all radiological weapons are nuclear weapons. Robert Earl and Norman Emery say that advanced technology has made the world more transparent, creating a global ‘fishbowl’, where even local events can have international influences.

To increase striking power through manipulation of images terrorists use the media. These images are used to try and build sympathy for their cause. Terrorists try to portray themselves as freedom fighters fighting against oppression. Paul Wilkinson says terrorists try to multiply force through communication. Terrorists seek to send messages through the media because it serves as a psychological weapon. These messages will attempt to demonize their enemies, which can create the illusion that the terrorists are the good guys. If this can be done, they can rally support for their cause and more people will join them. The influence through the media can make terrorists a more powerful threat.

Transnational support or transnational operations are used to increase striking power by attacking economic systems. If terrorists attack targets that are tied closely to the international economy, they can strike a huge blow for their cause. Tourism attractions are populated with many people and produce a lot of money for the economy. If these areas were attacked, it would cause the death of many people and result in a loss of money for the economy. The reasons for this are: the damages to the area, the loss of lives and fear that goes with that loss. People will not want to go back to this place for fear of death. The attack can be done by a small group of terrorists and result in a huge lost for the international economy.

Religion being used in conflict is by no means a new concept. But, it has become a big factor in terrorism today. Terrorism today is about cleansing the planet because it is corrupt. There is a global jihad movement that calls for all Muslims to rise up and fight against this corrupt world. Terrorists utilize this call through suicide bombing. The people that do this believe that they are sacrificing themselves for a greater cause, which would make them martyrs and strengthen the cause they fight for. Suicide attacks fueled by religious fanaticism are intimidating. Intimidation is something that is favored by terrorists. According to Jonathan White, it can penetrate secure targets with a good chance of success. These attacks provide for high casualties and publicity. White says suicide bombers give terrorist groups maximal control over the attack.

Force multipliers and its ability to increase striking power is an important tool used by terrorists to achieve their goals. Terrorists use them to show strength that isn’t really there in numbers. Terrorists very rarely attack in a huge force. They are usually small cells that infiltrate an area and attack. By using force multipliers, they create the image of a huge force that can strike from anywhere. This can create fear, which is a great weapon. Fear creates panic and makes one lose focus. This allows terrorists to easily pick their targets and attack from where ever they like.


Works Cited: Earl and Emery, Norman E. Terrorist Approach to Information Operations. Naval Postgraduate School. Monterey, CA. 2003

White, Jonathan R. Terrorism and Homeland Security. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA 2009.

Wilkinson, Paul. (1997). “The Media and Terrorism: A Reassessment.” Terrorism and Political Violence 9 (Summer).