Description
Book SynopsisDetails the complicity of the United States government in the torture and cruel treatment of prisoners both at home and abroad and discusses what can be done to hold those who set the torture policy accountable
Trade Review"An excellent addition to the cannon of work relating to the post-9/11 embrace of torture by the Bush Administration as well as the subsequent erosion of constitutional and international legal principles." -- Adam L. Kress * Law and Politics Book Review *
"This gripping collection of essays explores how the United States has used torture both domestically and abroad since the 1950s . . . Strongly recommended to any reader interested in developing a deeper understanding of the government's torture policies." -- Rachel Bridgewater * Library Journal *
"A critical collection of essays on the United States descent into torture. The contributors, who include some of the nations most important human rights advocates and scholars, tell the untold story of how the country that was instrumental in drafting the Convention Against Torture has itself violated that documents fundamental obligations, and what we should do about it." -- David Cole,author of The Torture Memos: Rationalizing the Unthinkable
"A magnificent, though deeply disturbing collection of essays on torture, considering its history, its use since September 11, and the obstacles to holding those responsible accountable. This is the best collection of essays on the topic and it leaves no doubt that the nation has not yet come to grips with the inhumanity perpetrated under the guise of national security." -- Erwin Chemerinsky,Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine, School of Law
"Because whistleblowers leaked the Abu Ghraib photos and some of the torture memos, the torture and abuse committed by the United States entered the national discourse. This book is the result of those efforts and this critical work by leading scholars and journalists who courageously provide a roadmap for holding Bush officials accountable for their war crimes." -- Daniel Ellsberg,author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers
"This book is incredible. The truth is right there on the pages, assembled for everyone to see and read and understand. Finally. Accountability is the first step in healing as a nation. The last line of the final chapter says it all: & Let us begin. Indeed, we must." -- Janis L. Karpinski,author of One Woman's Army: The Commanding General
"This is an extraordinarily important book. Marjorie Cohn has gathered some of the most knowledgeable and thoughtful voices who understand and oppose the horrific decision by the Bush/Cheney administration to employ torture to fight terrorists. In these pages they explain not only what was done but why it was so terribly wrong." -- John W. Dean,former Nixon White House counsel and author of Conservatives Without Conscience
"If this collection of authoritative and proficient essays does not convince every reader that key Bush officials and their lawyers should be prosecuted, it leaves no doubt that probable cause exists to justify the Justice Department opening a series of comprehensive investigations with ample resources and subpoena power to determine whether such crimes were committed and whether indictments should be issued...Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and anyone who cares about restoring respect for the Rule of Law in America should first read The United States and Torture, and then do the right thing." * The Los Angeles Daily Journal *
"The United States of Torture: Interrogation, Incarceration, and Abuseis an interdisciplinary work detailing U.S. participation in torture and cruel treatment of prisoners both at home and abroad and discusses what can be done to hold those who set the torture policy accountable." * Z Magazine *
"Marjorie Cohn, law professor and president of the National Lawyers Guild, has collected 14 incisive and comprehensive essays which, taken together, serve as a detailed indictment of the Bush administration for its acts of commission and the Obama administration for its acts of omission." * San Francisco Daily Journal *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface Sister Dianna Ortiz Introduction: An American Policy of Torture Marjorie Cohn Part I: The History and Character of Torture 1 Mind MazeAlfred W. McCoy 2 Torture and Human Rights Abuses at the School of Americas-WHINSECBill Quigley 3 U.S. Foreign Policy, Deniability, and the Political "Utility" of State TerrorTerry Lynn Karl 4 Fundamental Human Rights and the Coercive Interrogation of Terrorists in an Extreme EmergencyJohn W. Lango 5 Torture, War, and the Limits of Liberal LegalityRichard FalkPart II: Torture and Cruel Treatment of Prisoners in U.S. Custody 6 Outsourcing TortureJane Mayer 7 This Is To Whom It May ConcernMarc D. Falkoff 8 Psychologists, Torture, and Civil SocietyStephen Soldz 9 From Guantanamo to BerlinMichael Ratner 10 Mass Torture in AmericaLance TapleyPart III: Accountability for Torture 11 The Law of Torture and Accountability of Lawyers Who Sanction ItJeanne Mirer 12 Terrorists and TorturersPhilippe Sands 13 Criminal Responsibility of Bush Administration Officials with Respect to Unlawful Interrogation Jordan J. Paust 14 Torture, War, and Presidential PowerThomas Ehrlich Reifer About the Contributors Index
