The grisly subject of torture is back with us again. A look back at the dark days of de Gaulle's struggle to hold onto Algeria reveals consequences that echo loudly in our newest fight to retain what it means to be civilized.
George W. Bush’s policies toward terror detainees were perhaps some of his most jaw-dropping. Barack Obama came to office promising to change course. So far, he has done little. It remains to be seen whether the president can—or wants to—develop a
Both sides of the debate over the Geneva Conventions have it wrong. It’s unrealistic to expect states to follow the outdated agreement to the letter. Yet America would also benefit from a code of conduct followed by all the relevant actors—even te
The International Committee of the Red Cross strains at the gnat of American unilateralism and swallows the camel of terrorist atrocities. Stop applauding.
Contrary to what many have said, supporting torture is not part of being a conservative. If continued, White House policies that tolerate it will undermine U.S. credibility, produce bad intelligence and put American soldiers at risk.
Stopping torture and changing the policies of the Bush administration may not be enough. With a whole new type of terrorist bred from extraordinary rendition and torture, the last eight years may well prove inescapable.
