home > by publication type > daily analysis > CIA Probe and the Torture Debate
Email
| Author: | CFR.org Staff |
|---|
The seal at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. (AP)
The decision by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to appoint a special prosecutor to review past CIA interrogations revives robust debate over whether such a move is healthy or harmful to the United States in its counterterrorism efforts. In his statement explaining why a preliminary review was warranted, Holder took pains to note that it should not be seen as broad criticism of the intelligence community. At the same time, the release of a heavily redacted 2004 report (PDF) from the CIA's Inspector General underscored what many see as troubling and possibly unlawful behavior by some intelligence operatives in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The report details what it called "unauthorized, undocumented, and inhumane" interrogation tactics, including the use of guns, power drills, rifle butts, choking and threats to kill prisoners' children.
Still, the Los Angeles Times says U.S. President Barack Obama will face major challenges as a result of the investigation's launch, noting that Obama had already stated his desire to avoid just such a probe. He is already facing charges from the political left that the announced investigation is too feeble in scope and from the right that his attorney general is being overzealous.
Doug Bandow, senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, says the investigation needs to be far-reaching to help remove the taint (Huffington Post) to the country's reputation of what he called torture practices. David Cole of the Georgetown University Law Center writes that a comprehensive probe is needed, "including those all the way up the chain of command who hold ultimate responsibility for launching us on a path of torture." But the Wall Street Journal editorializes that Holder's moves could threaten the country's ability to confront terrorists. And Jeffrey H. Smith, former CIA general counsel in the Clinton administration, lays out six reasons why a prosecution of the CIA is not in the country's best interest.
As part of a brace of moves on August 24 involving U.S. intelligence practices, the Obama administration also announced it will set up a new specialized FBI interrogation unit, effectively taking the CIA out of the interrogation business. Journalist Jane Mayer, who has reported extensively on U.S. intelligence practices, sees the move as a "slap in the face" to an agency that had primacy in counterterror interrogations in the Bush administration. But TIME magazine's Swampland blog suggests that many CIA hands are quietly relieved that interrogations are no longer their responsibility. The new team--dubbed the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group, or HIG--will consist of analysts, linguists, and experts from across the intelligence and law enforcement community. It will be limited to interrogation tactics outlined in the U.S. Army Field Manual, though a review has been ordered to explore possible new tactics.
The release of the CIA IG's report, along will Holder's call for an investigation, are sure to renew debate over the effectiveness of certain interrogation techniques. Adding to the discussion: recently released memos former vice president Dick Cheney says prove that Bush-era interrogation techniques were effective.
Additional Analysis and Background:
The Washington Post looks at the Bush and Obama administrations' distinct reactions to the inspector general's report.
Politico looks at divisions over Holder's decision in Washington and in the CIA.
TIME asks whether the harsh interrogation tactics worked, or if they were even necessary, and says a definitive analysis of the inspector general's report is difficult, considering how much of it was redacted.
The Atlantic provides a rundown of intersecting intelligence news developments.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
To order Task Force reports, Council Special Reports, and Critical Policy Choices, please call, fax, or order online from our distributor, the Brookings Institution Press: phone +1.800.537.5487, fax +1.410.516.6998.
For information on other reports that are not for sale, or for general publications information, please call +1.212.434.9516 or email publications@cfr.org.
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
The report of this bipartisan Task Force of distinguished leaders and experts represents a strong consensus on the importance of repairing America's immigration policy. It makes the case that maintaining America's political and economic leadership depends on attracting talented and hard-working immigrants, and on securing the country's borders in a smart, effective, and humane way.
This report finds that nuclear weapons will remain a fundamental element of U.S. national security in the near term, and makes recommendations on how to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. deterrent nuclear force, prevent nuclear terrorism, and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
About Independent Task Forces at CFR
Complete list of Task Force reports
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
To request permission to reprint or reuse CFR material, please fill out this permissions request form (PDF), referring to the instructions on page 1.
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.