Trump's Viewpoint on Torture
Trump's viewpoint on torture and its efficacy has been put forth by a number of highly clever officers. Many nations consider torture to be unethical and morally repugnant when it comes to the implementation of justice, according to discussions of international law. In reality, the majority of states have outlawed techniques like waterboarding, just as they did after an executive order was issued in 2009 by the Obama administration outlawing it. The act of intentionally causing someone great suffering or anguish, either mental or physical, in order to coerce a confession, is known as torture, according to the United Nations Convention against Torture. (Anwukah 3). In the view of international law, intimidation, coercion, discrimination, and waterboarding in which a public official is involved either directly or indirectly constitute torture. The retrospect paper seeks to analyze the effectiveness of torture as an advanced interrogation technique based on the international law discussion.
The Ineffectiveness of Torture in Interrogations
The Human Rights Law holds that the use of torture in interrogations is ineffective and rather against the rights of the detainee. Torture of the victims threatens the security of the nation even more as it will turn the public against the security apparatus that purport to use torture to extract information from detainees. In a study by Anwukah, detainees tend to provide information as a way to prevent the interrogator from proceeding with the form of torture. When a person is subjected to torture, the individual will be inclined to reveal unreliable information, which he or she thinks that the interrogator is interested in (Anwukah 5). In a review by Senate Select Committee, psychologist suggests that the use of torture to extract information interfere with the quality and validity of information that the person provides (Apuzzo, Matt et al.). Forms like waterboarding have been reported by psychologists to be responsible for inflicting extreme pain and stress on the cognitive processes of the detainee, both psychological and physical, which will lead to the breakdown of the individual thinking process. Thus, the detainee will have false memories and poor memory performance which will impair their ability to recall information. Since the detainee cannot recall the exact information stored in their memory, they will tend to formulate any confession to stop the torture.
The CIA's Perspective on Torture
However, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in a report following the 9/11 attack on the United States and other terrorist attempts, points out that the use of advanced interrogation through torture is effective. In the report by Apuzzo, Matt et al., the CIA highlights major cases in which torture was used to access useful information that led to foiling of potential terrorist attacks. Although most of the evidence in the torture cases are classified, the top officials indicate that detainees who were subjected to torture revealed close allies to Osama bin Laden (Apuzzo, Matt et al.). When the CIA wiretapped the said individuals' communications, it was revealed that they were in communication with Osama and therefore the information proved useful in contributing to the arrest of the most wanted terrorist. Similarly, the case in which Ammar al-Baluchi was tortured during interrogation, vital information about the plotted attack on Karachi was acquired in the process (Apuzzo, Matt et al.).
The Role of Torture in Obtaining Information
Moreover, the ability of human cognition to tell a lie depends on proper functioning of the psychological processes and therefore in cases where the individual is subjected to torture, the processes will break down and allow for the detainee to provide vital information (Sullivan 388). Interrogators subject the detainee to simulations in which the brain registers the imminent death, and therefore, the individual will opt for the provision of information to avoid further torture. In fact, in a state of desperation, there is a high likelihood of an individual confessing to a terrorist plot that would not be revealed through ethical methods.
Justification for the Use of Torture
For decades, terrorism has become a threat to the survival of humanity, and as a result, counterterrorism measures have to be instituted to combat the threat. When suspected terrorists are arrested, the security system has to ensure that they provide the necessary information within the shortest time possible, so that grave attacks are prevented (Sullivan 389). As such, immediate intelligence can only be acquired through torture since the suspect will not provide the information willingly. Furthermore, as much as the International Law prohibits torture as a form of interrogation, the CIA officials note that torture of terrorists who are detained is for the greater good as it allows for prevention of potential attacks and therefore saving lives in the process (Apuzzo, Matt et al.).
The Debate Surrounding Torture
Conclusively, the remark made by President Trump about the effectiveness of torture is based on how torture has been used before by the intelligence agencies and successfully acquired vital information from detainees as reported by the CIA. However, the International Law and other humanitarian conventions point out that torture is cruel and therefore undermines the rights of individuals. Therefore, the use of torture is presumed to be ineffective as proposed by the Senate Select Committee that analyzed the 9/11 report presented by the CIA (Apuzzo, Matt et al.).
Works Cited
Anwukah, Ogechi Joy. "The Effectiveness of International Law: Torture and Counterterrorism." Ann. Surv. Int'l & Comp. L. 21 (2016): 1.
Apuzzo, Matt et al. "Does Torture Work? The C.I.A.’S Claims And What The Committee Found." Nytimes.Com, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/12/08/world/does-torture- work-the-cias-claims-and-what-the-committee-found.html.
Sullivan, Christopher Michael. "The (in) effectiveness of torture for combating insurgency." Journal of Peace Research 51.3 (2014): 388-404.
