Mr Kiriakou, a CIA Agent, claimed that his CIA team used waterboarding during an interrogation with Abu Zubaydah in Guantanamo Bay. Kiriakou attributes the success of their interrogations to the use of waterboarding.
However, Kiriakou did not provide substantial evidence suggesting that Abu Zubaydah's information actually lead to the disruption of plots. He claims that it did, but the American public has not yet seen this justification. We also have not heard how much disinformation was given by Abu Zaubaydah. Kiriakou also failed to mention whether or not the CIA team had used waterboarding against other detainees. Detainees who may have been released without charge or detainees who gave disinformation.
However, it becomes clear that Kiriakou himself has doubts about the information he recieved and the justification that torture and waterboarding have when looking at his own words.
"Like a lot of Americans, I'm involved in this internal, intellectual battle with myself weighing the idea that water-boarding may be torture versus the quality of information that we often get after using the water-boarding technique. And I struggle with it."
He said he felt water-boarding's use had "compromised [American] principles in the short term" and was unsure the technique would be justified any longer.
"At the time, I felt water-boarding was something we needed to do," he said.
"And as time has passed, and as September 11th has, you know, has moved farther and farther back into history, I think I've changed my mind."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7137750.stm
Those words seems telling.
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3 comments:
Props to Kiriakou, at least, from separating technical considerations from moral ones. Much of the anti-torture side could learn from his example.
Then again you have to weigh the outrage and terror attacks that are solely spawned because of the use of torture. As well as overwhelming evidence suggesting that torture isn't effective.
Then again you have to weigh the outrage and terror attacks that are solely spawned because of the use of torture
Indeed, The pluses and negatives of technical discussions.
As well as overwhelming evidence suggesting that torture isn't effective.
By this do you mean that torture is not effective in all circumstances, that torture is not more effective than equally available techniques in all circumstances, or that torture is not more effective than equally available techniques in any circumstances?
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