I'm not a sociologist, anthropologist, psychologist, or psychiatrist, so I can't provide any in-depth analysis of the following article... except to say:
What the hell is wrong with the human race?
One-third support 'some torture'
Nearly a third of people worldwide back the use of torture in prisons in some circumstances, a BBC survey suggests.
Although 59% were opposed to torture, 29% thought it acceptable to use some degree of torture to combat terrorism.
While most polled in the US are against torture, opposition there is less robust than in Europe and elsewhere.
More than 27,000 people in 25 countries were asked if torture was acceptable if it could provide information to save innocent lives.
Some 36% of those questioned in the US agreed that this use of torture was acceptable, while 58% were unwilling to compromise on human rights.
The percentage favouring torture in certain cases makes it one of the highest of all the countries polled.
[Bold emphasis mine]
That's really wonderful, isn't it? I'm American, and it's so very nice to know that slightly over one-third of my fellow Americans think torture is a valid tool in the War on Terror™.
More below the fold.
Here's the question that was asked:
The question
Most countries have agreed to rules prohibiting torturing prisoners. Which position is closer to yours?
- Terrorists pose such an extreme threat that governments should now be allowed to use some degree of torture if it may gain information that saves innocent lives
- Clear rules against torture should be maintained because any use of torture is immoral and will weaken international human rights
The article mentions that countries facing political violence are more in favor of using torture "because of the extreme threat of terrorism". These countries include Israel (43%), Iraq (42%), the Philippines (40%), etc.
Here's a graphical representation (click for the source):
(Click here for the full questionnaire, pdf.)
So, you see, the rest of the world isn't exactly lily white. It isn't just the US, or Israel, or the Philippines, or China. On the average, 29% of the people polled around the world think torture is acceptable in the war on terror.
That's a lot of people. Almost one out of three thinks this is just fine, because it might "save innocent lives":
Water Boarding: The prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. Cellophane is wrapped over the prisoner's face and water is poured over him. Unavoidably, the gag reflex kicks in and a terrifying fear of drowning leads to almost instant pleas to bring the treatment to a halt.
According to the sources, CIA officers who subjected themselves to the water boarding technique lasted an average of 14 seconds before caving in. They said al Qaeda's toughest prisoner, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, won the admiration of interrogators when he was able to last between two and two-and-a-half minutes before begging to confess.
"The person believes they are being killed, and as such, it really amounts to a mock execution, which is illegal under international law," said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch.
(Hey, if the Khmer Rouge did it, then it's perfectly acceptable, right?)
I can't wrap my mind around this. Who are these people? In the US, is it only the Bush supporters? I can't imagine having that ugly, poisonous possibility in my head. Do many of us harbor that dark secret, but only some are bold enough to admit it? Is it Bush's policies, his "culture of fear" (i.e. the War on Terror™) that has brainwashed people into thinking torture is acceptable? Are people so easily lead and conditioned?
Ever since the US policies regarding torture were exposed, this quote has always stayed with me:
Joe Navarro, a retired FBI agent who teaches interrogation techniques to the military and is familiar with interrogations at Guantanamo, said using threats during interrogations stood only to taint information gleaned from the sessions.
"The only thing that torture guarantees is pain," Navarro told the AP on Tuesday. "It never guarantees the truth."
Well, then, I guess that 36% of the US thinks that pain is more important than the truth.
Take the poll.