The heated debate in recent weeks about harsh interrogation treatments at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere highlights what some scientists have been warning the U.S. for years: that almost no research exists to tell interrogators the best way to get information out of suspected terrorists. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
The question of science-based interrogation techniques is interesting and valid, but this piece tends to de-emphasize the moral and legal aspects of torture, and the blowback from people retaliating for subhuman torture.
“There’s a public debate . . . and everybody’s saying, ‘We have to look at it,’” said Michael Ratner, … “You don’t ... More »
a very fair look at proposals to research interrogation techniques--it includes discussion of not only researching what does work and choosing between them, but also, questions possible implications we don't want of doing research of this topic. i felt uneasy reading the idea; however the article doesn't discuss possible results of continuing the status quo of interrogation, for the future.
It is unfortunate that muc hof the reasearch the Nazis was relegated to the trash heap. They kept meticulus records on procedures and results. Yes, it was appalling, yes it was criminal, yes it was a dark day for humanity. That does not that we should have thrown away the reams of records that were destroyed in hopes of wiping the atroscities from our collective memory. Perhaps the far right would have been more receptive of Gehring saying it does little good, than to hear it ... More »
OK as far as it went but only a hint at what are the down stream implication of carrying on with torture.
Research could be worthwhile but one musn't loose site of the wider implications if, for instance, torture turns out, agianst all odds, to be the more effective questioning method. It doesn't take any research to realize that all of the questionees will resent being questioned in this manner and most especially those that were innocent of any crime (see Ghost Plane by S Grey). It also takes no research to realize that some of them will become rabit terrorists and all will have ... More »
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