Embedded Files
Selected Publications:
Selected Publications:
Anatomy of Torture (Cornell University Press, 2022)
Anatomy of Torture (Cornell University Press, 2022)
Does torture "work"? I mine the archives of the Spanish Inquisition to find out.
Does torture "work"? I mine the archives of the Spanish Inquisition to find out.
My answer will frustrate some readers and infuriate others. Those who believe that torture “doesn’t work” will read that torture has, at times, forced victims to divulge crucial and truthful information that they would not otherwise have revealed.
My answer will frustrate some readers and infuriate others. Those who believe that torture “doesn’t work” will read that torture has, at times, forced victims to divulge crucial and truthful information that they would not otherwise have revealed.
On the other hand, those readers who regard torture to be a quick and effective, if cruel, tool for addressing “ticking bomb” threats will learn that torture is slow and tends to provide fragmentary information even under optimal conditions. It also exacts a tremendous social, political, and moral cost. Bluntly put, torture “works” but not the way you think it does.
On the other hand, those readers who regard torture to be a quick and effective, if cruel, tool for addressing “ticking bomb” threats will learn that torture is slow and tends to provide fragmentary information even under optimal conditions. It also exacts a tremendous social, political, and moral cost. Bluntly put, torture “works” but not the way you think it does.
Rather than insist that torture is ineffective, torture critics should focus their attention on the morality of torture. If torture is evil, its efficacy is irrelevant. At the same time, torture defenders cannot advocate for torture as a counterterrorist "quick fix": torture has never, nor will ever, locate the hypothetical "ticking bomb"
Rather than insist that torture is ineffective, torture critics should focus their attention on the morality of torture. If torture is evil, its efficacy is irrelevant. At the same time, torture defenders cannot advocate for torture as a counterterrorist "quick fix": torture has never, nor will ever, locate the hypothetical "ticking bomb"
Buy this book at Cornell University Press
Buy this book at Amazon
Religious intelligence involves an assessment of how religious rituals and symbols affect combat operations. The analyst must ascertain how prominent a role religion will play, what the relevant sacred phenomena are, how salient they are for the specific religious communities present, and how they will affect a given conflict.
Religious intelligence involves an assessment of how religious rituals and symbols affect combat operations. The analyst must ascertain how prominent a role religion will play, what the relevant sacred phenomena are, how salient they are for the specific religious communities present, and how they will affect a given conflict.
Because history provides no examples that even remotely resemble a "ticking bomb", this dangerous trope has been stretched beyond its breaking point. Yet it continues to influence public perception and policy around counter-terrorism and torture. The time has come to dismantle this myth.
Because history provides no examples that even remotely resemble a "ticking bomb", this dangerous trope has been stretched beyond its breaking point. Yet it continues to influence public perception and policy around counter-terrorism and torture. The time has come to dismantle this myth.
“What Do We Know about Interrogational Torture?” International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence, Vol.33, No.1 (2019) (PDF)
“What Do We Know about Interrogational Torture?” International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence, Vol.33, No.1 (2019) (PDF)
Initiating a rigorous research program on interrogational torture requires distinguishing myths from facts about U.S. interrogational torture. The evidence available suggests that interrogational torture has provided some useful intelligence at times but this information is often modest and often misleading. Torture is far from a “silver bullet”. It is slow, difficult to contain, and can prove self-defeating in the medium to long run.
Initiating a rigorous research program on interrogational torture requires distinguishing myths from facts about U.S. interrogational torture. The evidence available suggests that interrogational torture has provided some useful intelligence at times but this information is often modest and often misleading. Torture is far from a “silver bullet”. It is slow, difficult to contain, and can prove self-defeating in the medium to long run.
“The Cost of Torture: Evidence from the Spanish Inquisition,” Security Studies, Vol.29, No.3 (June-July 2020) (PDF)
“The Cost of Torture: Evidence from the Spanish Inquisition,” Security Studies, Vol.29, No.3 (June-July 2020) (PDF)
Empirical evidence on contemporary torture is sparse. The archives of the Spanish Inquisition provide a detailed historical source of quantitative and qualitative information about interrogational torture. This bureaucratized torture stands in stark contrast to the “ticking bomb” philosophy that has motivated US torture policy in the aftermath of 9/11.
Empirical evidence on contemporary torture is sparse. The archives of the Spanish Inquisition provide a detailed historical source of quantitative and qualitative information about interrogational torture. This bureaucratized torture stands in stark contrast to the “ticking bomb” philosophy that has motivated US torture policy in the aftermath of 9/11.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse