Increasing Torture and the Use of Harsh Interrogation in the United States Essay

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United States, the original power in the word, adopts the miserable harsh interrogation and torture of the suspected terrorists and detainees. U S being suspicious about the sustainability and continuity of their position as a superior power resorts to such mal treatment. Reports say that in the United States of America the suspected terrorists who are captured will have to suffer a hell lot from the hands of people in authority. Even though there is ruling in favor of such persons the authorities never care for it.

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United states completely forget the age old human values when it comes to the treatment of the suspected terrorists and detainees. Ethics and morality have fully been discarded by the United States in the treatment of such people. There will be a number of negative impacts on those who undergo such worst treatment.

Torture and harsh interrogation has become very prevalent in many highly developed countries especially in the United States.. The people in authority never care for morality and ethics of an action they take. They consider torture and harsh interrogation as the best method to be adopted to deal with suspected terrorists and detainees.

The treatment of suspected criminals in the United States is much harsh than in any other country and is with out any regard for morality and ethics. Harsh interrogation and torture are considered as the suitable methods to treat the suspected terrorists. The idea of giving them such mal treatment is not at all advisable in the modern society where technology has advanced so much.

In modern day America justifies the torture of suspected terrorists. America, in order to be secure, takes very rigorous actions against the suspected enemies. “In some cases, we determine that individuals we have captured pose a significant threat, or may have intelligence that we and our allies need to have to prevent new attacks.

Many are al Qaeda operatives or Taliban fighters trying to conceal their identities, and they withhold information that could save American lives. In these cases, it has been necessary to move these individuals to an environment where they can be held secretly [sic], questioned by experts, and — when appropriate — prosecuted for terrorist acts.” (Bush).

The detainees from the war of terrorism have certain rights and protection. But this is only for name sake in most cases. The detainees have to undergo a period of harsh procedures to get liberated. But at times the court of law comes for the rescue of them. But even this won’t be much helpful as the officials would be against the idea of passing bills in favor them and it creates confusion with regard to the arrest and detention of such suspected culprits.

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“Washington – In a stinging rebuke to President Bush’s anti-terror policies, a deeply divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that foreign detainees held for years at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have the right to appeal to U.S. civilian courts to challenge their indefinite imprisonment without charges.” (Sherman). But such highhanded ruling would not always be there to assist the detainees. Persons in power, in order to secure their country from any anti social elements will have to take severe anti terrorist measures.

As the world has undergone sea changes during the period there should be some kind of amendments in the defense policies of the state. It is high time there occurred a change in the defense policies of the state. It is time for the policy makers to rethink and restructure the existing defense laws and policies.

The defense policies shaped by the Geneva Convention and the Bill of Rights need to be revised and updated. No system and laws regarding the defense policies are perfect. All policies related to defense require amendment and modification as they become obsolete and outdated even in a short span of time.

The harsh interrogation techniques are those techniques aimed at making the prisoner speak the truth by inflicting pain and humiliation. Under this system the prisoner or the suspected culprit is forced by all means to reveal the truth. The techniques used under the harsh interrogation system are

  1. “The Attention Grab: The interrogator forcefully grabs the shirt front of the prisoner and shakes him.
  2. Attention Slap: An open-handed slap aimed at causing pain and triggering fear.
  3. The Belly Slap: A hard open-handed slap to the stomach. The aim is to cause pain, but not internal injury. Doctors consulted advised against using a punch, which could cause lasting internal damage.
  4. Long Time Standing: This technique is described as among the most effective. Prisoners are forced to stand, handcuffed and with their feet shackled to an eye bolt in the floor for more than 40 hours. Exhaustion and sleep deprivation are effective in yielding confessions.
  5. The Cold Cell: The prisoner is left to stand naked in a cell kept near 50 degrees. Throughout the time in the cell the prisoner is doused with cold water.
  6. Water Boarding: The prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner’s face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt.” (Ross and Esposito). These techniques of interrogation which are considered as corrective actually weaken the body and mind of the convict. In case the convict is not a real culprit the adverse impact that harsh interrogation can bring upon him would be disastrous. And the application of harsh interrogation technique can do more harm to the United States in terms of intelligence and national reputation.

Conclusion

From these reports it is understood that the torture and harsh treatment of suspected terrorists and detainees have considerably increased over the years. Such persons are treated with out any concern and regard for their moral well being. It may be due to the fact that in the modern there is no regard for the age old human values. Ethics and morality have become things of the past for the United States in relation to the treatment of such anti social elements.

Today people are indifferent to the concerns of others. These values were plainly seen in the people of past generation and all had great concern for others. Man as social being should possess the human values of ethics and morality. Today people are devoid of these two values. It may be expected that within no time the United States will take a move which will certainly help the detainees and the suspected terrorists in some way or other.

Work Cited

Bush, George W. President Discusses Creation of Military Commissions to Try Suspected Terrorists. The Whitehouse. 2006. Web.

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Ross, Brian., and Esposito, Richard. . abc News. 2005. Web.

Sherman, Mark. Court Says Detainees have Rights, Bucking Bush. Yahoo News. 2008. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2021, October 30). Increasing Torture and the Use of Harsh Interrogation in the United States. https://ivypanda.com/essays/increasing-torture-and-the-use-of-harsh-interrogation-in-the-united-states/

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"Increasing Torture and the Use of Harsh Interrogation in the United States." IvyPanda, 30 Oct. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/increasing-torture-and-the-use-of-harsh-interrogation-in-the-united-states/.

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IvyPanda. (2021) 'Increasing Torture and the Use of Harsh Interrogation in the United States'. 30 October.

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IvyPanda. 2021. "Increasing Torture and the Use of Harsh Interrogation in the United States." October 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/increasing-torture-and-the-use-of-harsh-interrogation-in-the-united-states/.

1. IvyPanda. "Increasing Torture and the Use of Harsh Interrogation in the United States." October 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/increasing-torture-and-the-use-of-harsh-interrogation-in-the-united-states/.


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IvyPanda. "Increasing Torture and the Use of Harsh Interrogation in the United States." October 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/increasing-torture-and-the-use-of-harsh-interrogation-in-the-united-states/.

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