Christopher Hitchens, writing for Vanity Fair, voluntarily underwent waterboarding to determine for himself, from an outsiders point of view, if it is indeed a reasonable addition to the interrogation process. After entering the debate, calling the practice “extreme interrogation”, Hitchens decided to settle the matter the best possible way; trying it himself. Would firsthand experience induce a change of heart?
Well, from the title of Hitchens’s article, “Believe Me, It’s Torture”, we have our answer. The current administration is rationalizing to deem it acceptable interrogation. Borne of the rampant fear-mongering that lingers to this day from after the September 11th attacks, America is heading down a path of becoming as immoral as the values it is fighting against. Though my opinion is not an uncommon one (luckily), I’ll state it anyways: America, lead by example. I know its clichéd advice, but clichés become clichés for good reason; they are the plain and simple truth.
There are those who need to be detained and interrogated, and I am not implying that interrogation need be of optimum comfort. Still, human rights cannot be thrown aside because we are at war. The real moral litmus test of a country is not at a time of peace, I can tell you that much.
We must demand that our government live up the standard it demands of others; take and treat non-combatants and prisoners of war according to the guidelines set out in the Geneva Conventions and do not use torture in interrogation techniques. Hint: if soldiers are being trained to resist a certain torture technique, that means it classifies as torture, even when it is called interrogation to the public here.
–Faigy Abdelhak
