The revelation of Torture has at various times in various developed nations been a catalyst for a deeper reflection on the nature of humanity, of our social system and of the need and nature of resistance on the part of oppressed people's. Yet current conversations of torture seem limited to abstract questions of ethics, of law and of its "efficacy" in extracting information.
Progressives and leftists are quick to point to the documented lack of effectiveness of torture in extracting reliable and useful intelligence. Some of us are quick to point out that the question of whether torture works should not be the question because to torture is to act against our law based democracy and the humanitarian values and ideals we pride ourselves on.
When put alongside discussions of torture by the likes of Franz Fanon , the Algerian psychologist and revolutionary writer who treated both French torturers and Algerian victims of torture, Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre, the existentialist philosophers whose works of both philosophy and fiction contain deep reflection on how torture works and affects the populations subjected by torture; our discussions seem remarkably shallow.
We fail to comprehend the depth at which torture distorts the humanity of BOTH tortured and torturer. we fail to grasp the psychological effect and purpose of torture. And most importantly, we act as if torture is the result of the plan of an evil mind. We compare Dick Cheney to Darth Veder and in this way we avoid looking at the systemic and structural role of torture in our society.
It is much more comfortable for us to separate ourselves from those who torture and to ignore the reality that torture works exactly as it is intended to work. It IS effective. The effect is not to extract useful intelligence but to act as a deterrent to the growth of resistance to US culture, control and values in the US and around the world.
If we are to create a society in which torture does not exist it will take reflection at a deeper level than the conversation at present. And it will take a lot more than prosecuting those who tortured--this time.
It will require as a start understanding what Dick Cheney and Franz Fanon both knew... That torture is an effective method of attacking any sort of popular resistance to occupation, racism and war. And then it will require a decision and a stance that rejects the real purpose and end of torture.
This is an initial post. After this I will start by sharing some of Franz Fanon's reflections on torture and expand this stub of a diary.
For now, I just want to introduce the idea into the conversation that perhaps torture IS effective in a project of domination far larger than an intelligence operation.