The Torturer's Dilemma: Analyzing the Logic of Torture for Information
The Torturer's Dilemma: Analyzing the Logic of Torture for Information
The Torturer's Dilemma: Analyzing the Logic of Torture for Information
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CHAPTER 6<br />
CONCLUSION:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Misleading <strong>The</strong>ater <strong>of</strong> <strong>Torture</strong><br />
In <strong>the</strong> preceding chapters, we have seen how torture has corrupted and led astray those states<br />
that have made use <strong>of</strong> it. A single instance <strong>of</strong> torture, conducted by master against slave, converted a<br />
simple Witch-Trial in Massachusetts, such as had come and gone with little fanfare or bloodshed over<br />
<strong>the</strong> previous decades, into a spiral <strong>of</strong> denunciations and executions, as <strong>the</strong> logic <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> traditional witch-<br />
trial was reversed: whereas in <strong>the</strong> past confession meant death, in Salem in 1692 confession and<br />
naming o<strong>the</strong>rs held out <strong>the</strong> only opportunity to survive as one by those who held out were put to death.<br />
In Algeria, <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> torture led <strong>the</strong> FLN commanders in <strong>the</strong> countryside to conduct a painful purge<br />
that severely weakened <strong>the</strong>ir ability to confront <strong>the</strong> French – ironically, <strong>the</strong>ir situation was saved only<br />
by <strong>the</strong> French army's own use <strong>of</strong> torture, which so alienated Algerian opinion, and so demoralized<br />
French society, that <strong>the</strong> military would openly revolt against <strong>the</strong> constitutional order, first bringing<br />
Charles de Gaulle to power, and <strong>the</strong>n attempting on several occasions to assassinate him once it became<br />
clear that he was not prepared to sacrifice France as a whole <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> benefit <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pieds Noirs as a<br />
group. In <strong>the</strong> War on Terror, <strong>the</strong> United States' use <strong>of</strong> torture has led not only <strong>the</strong> a severe loss <strong>of</strong> moral<br />
authority and global leadership, and given support to Islamist claims <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> US as a <strong>for</strong>ce <strong>for</strong> evil in <strong>the</strong><br />
world, but also led in large part to <strong>the</strong> declaration <strong>of</strong> war against Iraq – a war which has cost trillions <strong>of</strong><br />
dollars, uncounted thousands <strong>of</strong> lives, and contributed in no small part to <strong>the</strong> collapse <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> American<br />
economy.<br />
In all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se cases, we have seen how torture leads to cycles <strong>of</strong> denunciations which do not<br />
end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir own accord, but only when acted upon by an outside <strong>for</strong>ce. In Salem, elites increasingly<br />
found <strong>the</strong>mselves in danger <strong>of</strong> being named by an un<strong>of</strong>ficial junta <strong>of</strong> pubescent girls: only when<br />
Increase Ma<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> <strong>for</strong>emost scholar and most respected minister in New England stepped in to <strong>the</strong><br />
debate, armed with <strong>the</strong> latest in scientific research, was <strong>the</strong> process brought to an irrevocable halt. In<br />
Algeria, French torture was brought to an end only when de Gaulle ended <strong>the</strong> war to retain Algeria,<br />
while FLN torture ended only when <strong>the</strong> leadership <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> purges were purged in <strong>the</strong>ir turn. <strong>The</strong> US<br />
reliance on an increasing number <strong>of</strong> tortured captives led to <strong>the</strong> creation <strong>of</strong> a <strong>the</strong>ory to legitimate <strong>the</strong><br />
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