Torture works with resounding success.
It works to destroy people, bodies but mostly minds.
It works to destroy communities that rise against repression.
It works to breed suspicion and ruin trust, of anyone, of everyone.
It works to create and perpetuate terror within people, communities and nations.
It works to establish gripping-terror by torturing strong opposition leaders, rendering them a weak, frightful shell of their former selves. Once returned to the community, they serve as an example of the consequence of opposition. This especially was the purpose pre- 9-11. However, torture is so effective, any victim can serve as an example.
It works to silence, thereby immobilize survivors; which also indicates that successful torture ends with a survivor; clear intent, typically, not being murder.
It works to enrich the few professionals who refine techniques of torture, who create euphemisms thus enhancing “enhanced interrogation”, ultimately training others to “torture better”.
It works to de-moralize and bring shame to societies who accept, outright or tacitly, the practice of torture.
It works to make nations and citizens who practice torture, unsafe and vulnerable to retaliation throughout the world and within its’ own borders.
It works to place the soldiers of nations who practice torture at risk for torture themselves if captured.
It works to give work to those who order and carry out torture, some with depraved pleasure, along with very nice remuneration.
It works to brutalize societies who engage in this as national policy, in the guise of national security; similar to the ‘tough on crime’ deception spewed by politicians trolling for votes.
It works to distract citizens who need to engage in wider issues of war in an effort to make peace.
Torture is an extremely useful and effective weapon of repression and terror. It’s intent is not to “gain information” used to thwart terrorist activity. It has been shown that torture does NOT work to extract enemy secrets, or what is euphemistically called “actionable intelligence”. It is a terrorist action itself and constitutes crimes against humanity. It is immoral if not illegal.
So in sum, torture works! What must be challenged is the premise of the statement…”It Works”…
....question, critique and make clear its’ intent and what, indeed, it accomplishes.