Torture Debate
Torture Is Unacceptable Under No Circumstances
Argument: torture is unacceptable because it is counterproductive
Argument: torture is unacceptable because it is illegal
Argument: torture is unacceptable because it is immoral
Is Torture Ever Acceptable in Any Way?
Although torture has existed as long as human history, liberal democracies in the last two centuries began to argue against the use of torture in all occasions because they began to see torture as a barbaric practice and morally repugnant. Nevertheless, even liberal democracies have often resorted to torture in practice, especially in times of war. Although as a matter of policy, most democracies have banned torture and have signed international conventions against the practice of torture and cruel punishments, periodic wars and crises force some policy-makers to question the wisdom of banning all kinds of torture. Thus, following the horrific attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, members of the Bush Administration began to advocate some forms of torture to extract information from terror suspects (Alvarez; Danner). Nevertheless, torture at the end is unacceptable because it is counterproductive, illegal, and immoral.
Advocates of torture argue that sometimes torture is acceptable because it may be necessary to win an unconventional war. But numerous cases from history show that torture is ultimately counterproductive. As Senator John McCain, himself a victim of torture by North Vietnamese, recently argued, torture harms war efforts rather than helping them. For example, if torture is rationalized, enemies will have at their hands even greater justification for practicing it when they capture our own troops and even civilians. Groups like Al-Qaeda may not care for international norms and morality but America may be involved in wars in the future and countries normally observing international treaties may have little reason to avoid torturing captured American soldiers (McCain). Moreover, as the systematic use of torture by the French forces in Algeria in 1950s and '60s demonstrates, torture often produces false information as those tortured are willing to admit to anything to relieve pain (Horne).
Practice...
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