U. S. Army War College Colonel David Astin Penny Hill Press
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001, U.S. leaders were determined to avoid another strike against the nation. As part of their efforts in the ensuing Global War on Terror, America's leaders authorized the use of coercive techniques during prisoner interrogations to gain intelligence deemed crucial to national security. The policies and procedures that emerged have brought the legitimacy of coercive techniques, which some view as torture, to the forefront of the political debate. This paper focuses on the legality, utility and morality of coercive...
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001, U.S. leaders were determined to avoid another strike against the nation. A...
Recent incidents at Abu Ghraib prison brought to light one of the more vexing and potentially troublesome issues the U.S. is likely to face in this conflict: Does the nature of the War on Terror justify the use of extraordinary measures, i.e., torture, in our effort to defeat the enemy? This paper begins with a brief review of the events leading up to the scandal at Abu Ghraib to include the potential influence of policy discussions at the highest levels of government. Following that background discussion, I identify some of the pitfalls associated with defining torture and review some of the...
Recent incidents at Abu Ghraib prison brought to light one of the more vexing and potentially troublesome issues the U.S. is likely to face in this co...
