Does anyone think torture is a reliable means of gaining intelligence?

Question

It seems so fundamentally non-sensical.

It seems so irrational.

Answer 1

There are cases where it does gain valuable intelligence but normally it is prevented by the Geneva Convention. Unfortunately, the radicals could care less about what the Geneva Convention says so they will do anything to get the info they want. The Islamic radicals do a lot of that right now but if it was my son or daughter was a prisoner of theirs, I would do anything to save them, if I knew a captive I had knew where they were. We in America always try to fight a non-conventional enemy using conventional means and that is why we usually lose. I saw that in Vietnam and had hoped to never see it again but here it is.

Answer 2

It depends on what you mean by "torture" and what you mean by "intelligence".

There are some things that some might call "torture" and some not. Is sleep deprivation torture? Is it torture to isolate them totally? Deny them the knowledge of the date, time of day, which direction is north? Playing specific music designed to annoy, sedate, pacify, whatever?

And what do we mean by "intelligence"? Raw, unverified answers? These aren't worth much no matter what the means of obtaining them. Could it be that the investigators know facts about the events confessed to that were not made public, and could only be known to someone involved?

Could a person be taken to the point where they confess, and the investigator demands proof of the sincerity of the confession, and gets one of those facts no one else could know? Yes, they could.

Yes, "torture" can be a reliable means of gaining "intelligence".

Answer 3

No, it gives the subject a reason to lie. Second, you usually could have got the information out of the prisoner without torture. There has only been one time in recorded history where torture would have been justified (a terrorist was captured before completing his plan, and it had to be known whether there were more bombs out there ready to go off--this was about the time of the Falkland's War), but the UK decided against torture, and it turned out there wasn't a second bomb.

Torturing someone when there is no fear of an immediate threat just gives confusing intellegence--you won't know whether you were told the truth or if the guy just wanted you to stop hurting him.

Answer 4

i think of the actuality keeps to be is that with the intention to defeat terrorism, we won't use the comparable issues which DEFINES us as being a terrorist too. Torture is unquestionably one in all the bread and butter gadgets of determination for them--in the previous they kill their captives. So why are we doing what they're doing in secret, yet denying it so brazenly--even regardless of the undeniable fact that we nevertheless are doing it? in case you seize a criminal, ought to they no longer be tried for their crimes? What makes a terrorist any diverse? in spite of everything, we tried the bombers of the 'ninety 3 WTC attack in federal courtroom--and not something undesirable got here approximately. We did no longer lose our rights. We did no longer torture or kill all of us. We certainly did no longer invade on fake pretense. yet now...? each and every thing's long previous to hell in a handbasket. we've lost our rights as voters, we are torturing people left and right, withholding habeus corpus, rendition flights, and we've invaded on the thought an impotent 0.33-international us of a with the international's 5th greatest oil reserves--grow to be A threat TO national risk-free practices. that's no justice as quickly as we do it decrease back to the terrorists in spades. It basically tells the different terrorists international that america is not any diverse than they're. as a consequence, terrorism prospers instead of diminishes. yet i've got not got self assurance Bush and corporation have caught onto this extremely yet.

Answer 5

Torture is wrong. The people who have the job of inducing the torture must be sadistic.

Answer 6

People will say/do anything they are told when under strong enough duress. Information gleaned from torture is no more valid than information gleaned from intoxicating them with alcohol.

Its a terror tactic, a very old terror tactic.

Answer 7

Absolutely. I will hook a battery charger up to your testicles and you will sing songs. Believe me, our military will save American lives by doing what is necessary. Mostly we have other countries do this for us indirectly to save face.