Why Torture Doesn’t Work And Is Un-American
“Matthew Alexander” is the pseudonym used by a Special Operations air force officer, who led a team of interrogators in Iraq in 2006. He wrote a book, How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq, and a piece for the Washington Post where he explains why torture doesn’t work. “I’m Still Tortured by What I Saw in Iraq” describes the “deeply flawed, ineffective and un-American way the U.S. military conducts interrogations in Iraq” that has “Alexander” alarmed.
I’m not some ivory-tower type; I served for 14 years in the U.S. Air Force, began my career as a Special Operations pilot flying helicopters, saw combat in Bosnia and Kosovo, became an Air Force counterintelligence agent, then volunteered to go to Iraq to work as a senior interrogator. What I saw in Iraq still rattles me — both because it betrays our traditions and because it just doesn’t work.
The officer says interrogations were based on fear and control and often resulted in torture and abuse.
I taught the members of my unit a new methodology — one based on building rapport with suspects, showing cultural understanding and using good old-fashioned brainpower to tease out information. I personally conducted more than 300 interrogations, and I supervised more than 1,000. The methods my team used are not classified (they’re listed in the unclassified Field Manual), but the way we used them was, I like to think, unique. We got to know our enemies, we learned to negotiate with them, and we adapted criminal investigative techniques to our work (something that the Field Manual permits, under the concept of “ruses and trickery”). It worked. Our efforts started a chain of successes that ultimately led to [Iraq's al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi.
“Alexander” goes on to write about how humane methodologies resulted in greater success, as Sunnis turned away from al-Qaeda and information obtained led to the death of Zarqawi. And these more enlightened approaches also helped create the Anbar Awakening and a huge decreases in violence.
My experiences have landed me in the middle of another war — one even more important than the Iraq conflict. The war after the war is a fight about who we are as Americans. Murderers like Zarqawi can kill us, but they can’t force us to change who we are. We can only do that to ourselves. One day, when my grandkids sit on my knee and ask me about the war, I’ll say to them, “Which one?”
Back in the 1950’s Colonel Oreste Pinto of Dutch Intelligence would write similarly about interrogating downed Luftwaffe airmen in Britain during WWII. He also believed that torture was totally ineffective when an interrogator really needed information. Information freely offered was usually true.
November 30th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Torture is not only ineffective, but escalates in it’s own process. Studies have shown that the internal stress of the torturers ramps up at alarming rates causing the increase in severity of the torture being executed. Several early psyhological studies support this that were conducted at Stanford in the early 1960’s.
I have taken training in preparedness for interrogation and have personally observed the effective use of non-torture methods of submission….all perfectly within the Geneva accords. It is remarkable how the most gentle methods get the best results…results being reliable information.
November 30th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Torture has proven outdated. It didn’t work for the inquisition, and it won’t work today.
Torture is not only ineffective, but escalates in it’s own process. Studies have shown that the internal stress of the torturers ramps up at alarming rates causing the increase in severity of the torture being executed. Several early psyhological studies support this that were conducted at Stanford in the early 1960’s.
I have taken training in preparedness for interrogation and have personally observed the effective use of non-torture methods of submission….all perfectly within the Geneva accords. It is remarkable how the most gentle methods get the best results…results being reliable information.
November 30th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Brain power over brute force.
It’s a difficult concept for some folks, frequently because they’re so obsessed by a lust for revenge that they can’t admit to the possibility that violence is ineffective and in the greater scheme of things is probably counterproductive.
Rambo has his place, but when it comes to interrogations we’re better off with George Smiley.
November 30th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
You’ll tell us what we want to know! These Mr. Roger reruns will make sure of it.
November 30th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
WFG–Mr Rogers? Damn you are sadistic—What if they dont buckle then? William Shatner’s complete TV catalouge?
November 30th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
What? You don’t find Mr. Rogers comforting?
November 30th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Mr Rogers may fall in the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Category.If you are going to do that why not just tie them in a chair and make them listen to Yoko Ono albums for a week.
November 30th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Or make them watch American Idol.
November 30th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
We must appreciate experienced interagators who have learned to gain information with humanity and without degrading us or our ideals. As one who has treated victims of torture I recognize the psychological wounds never heal. That being the case, the terrorized terrorist returns to get even if possible and the ugly cycle continues. While W was evading his service, he learned his tough guy charecter by watching western movies. That he doesn’t have a clue he was terribly wrong (I stuck to my values) is in itself a crime. While some Obama advisors are trying to buy peace in the valley by not fully investigating CIA and Pentagon lawyers and the administration who encouraged lawless opinions, I say lets go for the truth and prosecute those who deserve same. I don’t want a weakened intelligence network…simply a smarter one…and with morally straight persons at the top. Bush sadly deserves label as a criminal under our laws, and prosecution. If someone later wants to pardon him later, so be it, but only after the truth comes out, so that the underlings will know clearly what not to do in the future…and that is don’t disobey the law of the United States.
November 30th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Set up 2 TVs both playing American Idol–the try outs—-give them a gun with 1 bullet—–do they shoot 1 TV or suicide?
WFG the government should have hired us as interrogators.
November 30th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I don’t have the stomach for either method.
November 30th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Just not the kind that could be that nice, but I don’t agree with torture either; just making a little joke earlier.
November 30th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
If Bush pre emptively issues pardons for those who followed his administration’s orders to torture, he would be admitting to be a war criminal. Our constitution, the principles of our country’s heritage, and our international agreements all recognize that torture, in any form, is illegal and a crime against humanity. Bush, no matter how many “memos” they wrote, committed an international crime against humanity by using torture. Motives, no matter what they are, mean nothing…it is the act of torture that endangers our soldiers and ruins the American name throughout the repected states of the world. We lose our moral high ground to the terrorists and we lay in the gutter with them.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I don’t know enough about the torture issue. All I can say is that I support WHICHEVER METHOD produces results that save lives. That’s the bottom line for me.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Cheryl…they’re counting on your backing with the “anything which works” label. Terrorists are despicable yet lowering ourselves to thir level no matter that we have laws and treaties against same which we have enforced elsewhere produces an unacceptable double standard. Your suggestion sounds pragmatic…however it’s reality is anything but. Those warped souls pushing torture is ok if we do it will never try smarts first. When the word is out, our GI’s will get no better and probably worse!
November 30th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Situational ethics practiced by the administration has led to situational adherance to the constitution……and adherence to the laws of humanity is not negotiable if we are to maintain the moral high ground…which protects our soldiers.
December 1st, 2008 at 12:12 am
I dont believe you can break a terrorist. Either they freely give up the information; or you out-smart them so that they give up critical info; or you get out there and do the foot work required to back track their where abouts and their contacts. I can imagine all three placed together results in effective practices.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:19 am
It does not work when you train people to do the oppsite thing when caught. We will kill you has far more out reaching affects. Alot of people died for not giving up information and remain locked up despite what side you are on. D-DAY would have never worked if torture worked.
December 1st, 2008 at 7:21 am
Just watched HANNITY and COLMES and at the end of the show it was the man that wrote the book. The man stated that torture does not work. Yet HANNITY had to say if someone waterboarded me i would talk. Jee wiz what a buffoon. Just think folks,would d-day have worked? NAZIS knew we where going invade. Did they stop us? Any wimps sold us out about the invadison? They caught folks. HANNITY is insame in the membrain.
December 2nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm