...Director Mike Hayden responded to then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump publicly pledging to use torture against terrorism suspects, including the infamous tactic of waterboarding. Hayden is a strong advocate for the CIA’s post-9/11 program of “enhanced interrogation techniques,” a variety of torture tactics, including waterboarding. However, since the CIA officers and contractors employed these techniques, executive order and law now ban their use. Does Hayden’s remark signify a long-term change in CIA attitude towards coercive interrogation techniques, or is it indicative of another lull before parts of the Agency revive the practice?...
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...Kenny Anderson Political Science Prof. Hawn 10 October 2012 Government and Torture Means of torture have been used around the world for a number of years. At one point in time it had been terminated in the United States; however, after the events of September 11, 2001, it has come back as an acceptable way to acquire information from terrorists. Torture is, according to the United Nation Convention Against Torture in 1984: “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in, or incidental to, lawful sanctions.” (OHCHR) This definition, regardless of any country's own rules, regulations and laws is obligatory to be carried out by all the countries. When someone is accused of being a culprit of torture, there are various credentials, which are modified to wartime situations when needed. In general to be a culprit, one must bring severe physical, mental pain or suffering upon the victim. In most scenarios...
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...actors and more about the processes. There are more than just the traditional actors now. How do INGOs try to exercise leverage/influence? * NGOs use institutions to try to leverage their pressure/policies. * Combat negative policy choices and advance the positive ones: * Dissemination of alternative information: ex: Israeli bombing of gaza in past eras….you would not know much back then, but now it’s instantaneous. * Experts!!! Build expert authority… * Get allies!! Build a network, get support. * The importance of public diplomacy, i.e. the courtroom of public opinion. * Short-term high politics on acute crisis issues vs. long term transnational chronic social issues. COMPLIANCE: CAN STATES CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR? * Classic advocacy for norm diffusion: * The spiral model of how norms work: Risse, Ropp, Sikkink (RRS)- CASCADE MODEL (how to turn a state from not doing something into doing it): * Repression: ex state promoting torture. You step in and condemn torture…. * Denial: we don’t torture, or we have to torture, or we use humane ways of torture. * Tactical concessions (the tipping point – entrapping repressive govs) : ex: we’ll stop torture over 30 years, or use medical torture etc… tipping point: so many tactical concessions that everyone starts to change all together. * Prespective status: accept the vilinity of the norm, and start to change * Rule-consistent...
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...Torture is defined in various ways, but it all leads up to the same concept of inflicting pain. According to the United States Department of Justice, the United States Code Section 2340A of Title 18: prohibits torture committed by public officials under color of law against persons within the public official's custody or control. Torture is defined to include acts specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering. (It does not include such pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions.) The statute applies only to acts of torture committed outside the United States. There is Federal extraterritorial jurisdiction over such acts whenever the perpetrator is a national of the United States...
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...ruling from a judge, as to whether physical pressure is warranted under the specific circumstances, in order to avoid being subject to an after the fact risk of imprisonment. Thus was born the proposal for a torture warrant. Actually it was a rebirth, because half a millennium ago torture warrants were part of the law of Great Britain. They could be sought only in cases involving grave threats to the Crown or the Empire and were granted in about one case a year. Judges even in those times, were extremely reluctant to authorize the thumb screw. Why then should we even think about returning to an old practice that was abolished in England many years ago. The reason is because if we ever did have a ticking bomb case - - especially a ticking nuclear bomb case - - law enforcement officials would in fact resort to physical force, even torture, as a last resort. In speaking to numerous audiences since September 11th - - audiences reflecting the entire breadth of the political and ideological spectrum - - I have asked for a show of hands as to how many would favor the use of non-lethal torture in an actual ticking bomb case. The vast majority of audience members responded in the affirmative. So have law enforcement officials to whom I have spoken. If it is true that torture would in fact be used in such a case, then...
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...ethics and torture 544 3/14/2016 Melba V. Pearson The paper of ethics and torture The following of September 11 tortures has become the method use, within the United States policy from former President Georgia W. Bush within the highest stages of the American government. During 9/11 former President Bush signed a document that would give the CIA the control, to capture kill also interrogate terrorist leaders and group member of that outfit as well. It even gave the CIA the authority to obtain private locations around, the world to capture also interrogate the terrorism with the human right being taken away from them within theses private areas they used. Then former president as well develop and top property lines, of high valued names of terrorist. This government agency granted the right to detain, interrogate also kill the terrorist that was not on the high-value list. Many people within a society have different definitions of torture. However, torture is a person that intentionally physically harms a defenseless, also not consenting individual severely. The considerable deliberate curtailment, with the exercises of a person self-sufficiency, obtain by any means necessary commonly to assume the reason for breaking the will of the not consenting individual. Also in this paper, we will talk about terrorism. Torture look at both sides in favor and not in the use of torture it evaluates each side ethically (Jeremy Diamond, 2014). In the practice of torture is used...
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...outline organizational goals. Human rights NGOs vary in their approach. Some NGOs perform extensive research in order to document human rights abuses. These organizations serve as “watchdogs,” monitoring the potentially abusive actions of governments. Many human rights NGOs work to bring public attention to human rights abuses through information campaigns, NGO member updates, and coordination with the press. By garnering public support of an issue, human rights NGOs can put intense pressure on perpetrators to end human rights abuses. Human rights NGOs work at the local, national and international level and may focus their efforts on government advocacy or grassroots organizing. Major Human Rights NGOs Amnesty International is recognized as one of the most influential human rights NGOs, with over 3 million members in 150 countries. Amnesty International conducts research, raises public awareness of human rights violations, and generates grassroots action. Amnesty International aims to ensure all people enjoy the rights outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The work of Amnesty International includes direct lobbying, letter writing, petitions, public demonstrations, public education and more. Amnesty International lists current openings online, including job vacancies, volunteer opportunities and internships. Current opportunities include Researcher (Russia), responsible for research and campaign work in Russia, Web Officer (Moscow), whose work is to ensure e-activism...
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...to life of the victim. In certain limited cases, Article 2 may impose a duty on the state to take positive steps to protect your life where it is being threatened. So where there is an environmental hazard that poses a very high risk to the life of the people living nearby, the state may have a duty to provide information about that hazard to enable the people to take steps to protect themselves and their families. In the case of Osman v UK, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that the police were under an obligation to take reasonable steps to protect the life of the claimant as there was a real and immediate risk to his life, and the police were aware of this risk. Article 3 No torture, inhuman or degrading treatment The prohibition on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is one of the most important provisions in the Human Rights...
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...Understanding the World after 9-11 Even though we still have Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp there are those who feel that we should close it down and stop the torture for example degrading the person lack of sleep or lack of food and even though it was effective at times to get information out of prisoners by using such techniques though after September 11, 2001 and the media getting pictures of how we was treating these prisoners we had to change, some to the good others are not so good because a prisoner may tell you what you want to hear and it may not be the truth. Then there is still the public inquiring about the prisoners where would we have to transfer them? This scares those who live near a prison, many are terrorist so what should we do? Clean up and make Alcatraz Island also known as the Rock and put them there? From what we have learned that place is no better. Until there is peace throughout all the lands and countries there will and must be safeguards not just for us but for those who are suicide bombers and other terrorist. When someone threatened U.S. interests and safety, the government started thinking up ways to protect the citizens of our beautiful country. This is where the USA Patriot Act came from. The USA Patriot Act was signed into law by former President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001, just a little over a month after the attacks. It is an acronym that stands for, Uniting (and) Strengthening America (by) Providing Appropriate Tools Required...
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...SOCIAL CHANGE Neoliberalism specifically refers to economic changes that also bring about changes in public policy, economic policy, the distribution of income and wealth, the weakening or elimination of labor, increased impoverishment, increased mass powerlessness, and even sometimes war and torture (class notes). For Klein neoliberalism is the rule of the market and corporations over the state therefore, meaning over the people. In her novel, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism she gathers together decades of economic catastrophes made by the United States, the IMF and the World bank. In this novel Klein is pushing to expose capitalism’s true nature,“ a policy the breeds poverty and crime” (Georgi Arbatov). Klein’s basic thesis and main point is that neoliberalism is dominating the world by using public disorientation such as wars, terrorist attacks and natural disasters to push through reforms that are not accepted. The introduction of the book Klein talks about the disaster in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, one of the many examples she uses to support her thesis, and how the Louisiana State Legislature in Baton Rouge were using this tragedy as an opportunity to change New Orleans. They spoke about building condos now that public housing was finally gone. One congressman said, “ We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did”(page 4). Klein recalls what some of the victims commented on when they...
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...Name Professor Course Class Date Public Administration Question 1 Heclo’s concept of Issue networks states that government policies emerge from an interaction of a large number of participants who have varied degree of dependence and commitment on each other. The issue networks is the opposite of the Iron triangle theory. According to (Stillman 408), the Iron triangle is the interaction among the elected members of Congress, career bureaucrats and the interest groups. The iron triangle proposes that policies are made when the Congress passes favorable legislations; which are to be implemented by the bureaucrats and then supported by the special interest groups. In the Issue networks, the primary interest of the participants is either emotional or intellectual. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was initially slated to feed malnourished school children whistle supporting the farmers. However, in the 1990s, the program was transformed to an initiative to promoting sound nutrition among the youth. This transformation process is what is referred to as “reinvention” (Stillman 410). To implement this program, there has to be interplay between political and technocratic interests. During the reinvention, several health and consumer advocates came out to support the change while some were against. The operation of this policy is a complex one involving several interest groups, consumer advocacy groups and professional associations. The system starts with the legislations...
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... The Brazilian military dictatorship took place in Brazil between the years of 1964 and 1985. Known as the first South American bureaucratic regime, the dictatorship strived to develop the country’s economy, reform politics and attract foreign investors. As the name suggests, this governmental model used the military’s power in order to rule the country. For this reason, the system was known to be extremely repressive and censorial. Moreover, anyone who seemed to oppose to the Brazilian authorities were often subjected to strict trials and often torture. The main explanation behind these practices is that the military government wanted to prevent revolutionary ideas that may have put their power in jeopardy. The main targets of this radical censorship were journalists and musicians, many of whom were severely punished for “conspiring” against the country’s authorities. However, the latter were simply expressing facts and public opinions on the situation of the time. This intense oppression can be seen as a violation of human rights and freedom of speech. In this essay, the historical and political context of this period, the ways that the military tyranny has affected the lives of Brazilian journalists, writers and other artists as well as the effect on publication processes of their works will be outlined. Moreover, tactics used by journalists and musicians to avoid the common oppression will be surveyed. In order to have a more effective critical approach to this military...
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...Slide 1 No act is inherently deviant. It depends on 4 factors: time, place, consequence, identity of victim/offender How you perceive yourself is strongly based on how others perceive you Your interactions with others shape who you are. Master – the role that defines who you are (eg. CEO) Self fulfilling prophecy – you embrace what others label you Driving While Black Study (New Jersey)– study to see if blacks are pulled over or arrested more, to see if there is an official or de facto policy of targeting blacks * Determine the total % of black drivers, and the total % of black drivers stopped on the road * They also drove 5 mph above the speed limit and looked at the racial composition of people driving cars that drove past them * They violated traffic laws at approximately the same rate * 73% of drivers stopped and arrested were black, while only 14% of drivers on the road were black. * 35% of all who were stopped were black * Very small probability of this being a fluke * CONCLUSION: Blacks are several times more likely to be stopped than non-Blacks * Studies in Maryland yielded similar results for all minorities Howie Becker – the group creates rules and people that break those rules are labeled outsiders and deviants. Moral Entrepreneurs – people that make a career out of enforcing morality eg. Police Primary deviance – committing a deviant act before the rules are formed. You aren’t stigmatized as being deviant. Person who...
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...Torturing Terrorist The word torture makes teeth cringe with images of a person tied down to a chair with ruptured lips, bruised face, in a room full of people taking turns in “beating the truth” out of them. Torturers have an illusion of finding the “truth” through creative forms of inflicting agonizing pain on a terrorist. During times of crisis this technique can be tempting to practice. The ticking time bomb scenario is always a form in an attempt to justify torture (Smith). These methods can cause a negative impact in communities in our nation. Torture should not be an option. Torture is defined as: the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty (Dictionary.com). In human nature every being is wired to survive. The primal instinct takes over a person when they are being tortured and know that they are in a life or death situation. Regardless if they know anything about what the interrogators want to know, they will say anything to keep themselves from being tortured. Excruciating pain is not the only way of obtaining information because torture has two forms that could be either physical or psychological (law.harvard.edu). There have been data-based attempts to probe the definition of torture. In a sophisticated empirical study of 432 torture survivors, Metin Basoglu (2009) analyzed the psychological meaning of 46 torture techniques. Statistical analyses revealed...
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...Whether or not torture is ethical and whether or its methods actually work is a topic of debate. Torture is a retributive tactic used on people the government believes has committed an illegal act or whom they want to get private information out of. However, it may not be reliable, as has been proven with false confessions coerced during interrogation in our own justice system. The extreme forms of torture put upon suspects may be enough to make anyone admit to a crime that they did not do. There is also the question of whether or not torture of a person is ethical, and to answer this depends on which ethical system a person follows. One could argue under utilitarianism that the torture of one person with the possibility of gaining pertinent information is for the greater good. On the other hand, under ethics of care one could argue that punishment merely for the chance to gain information or for humiliation purposes is immoral and going too far. Therefore, more research should be done to determine whether or not forms of torture lead to useful pieces of intelligence and good behavior in...
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