Too Much State Power? (Asymmetric Warfare and Asymmetric Policing)

It may seem strange to suggest, on the day that our dysfunctional government has been put back to work after weeks of deadlock by our dysfunctional Congress, that what we're confronting is too much state power. But all signs point in precisely this direction.

Most recently, I've been seeing reports about the man that a U.S. team grabbed in Libya, and every time I see them, I feel like there's something wrong here and we're not articulating it properly.

Continuing the practice that has filled the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center as well as Bagram and an unknown number of other prisons in Afghanistan, the U.S. government arrested/detained an alleged criminal/terrorist, Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai (Abu Anas al-Libi). From the get-go, the U.S. government said that it intended to do two things with this man: (a) interrogate him aboard a U.S. Navy ship; (b) prosecute him in U.S. federal court. The legalities of this are complicated, and turn broadly on the question of whether the man is a soldier, a civilian, or something in-between.

Having worked on the Guantanamo issue for years now, I have some familiarity with the relevant legal concepts. But in this case I kept turning from technicalities to simple moral instinct: no matter what the legal theory is, there is something that doesn't feel right about an all-powerful state grabbing a person and disappearing him down a hole (or multiple holes) where they will -- rules and protocols notwithstanding -- do whatever they want with him (thank you very much).

In other words, you don't have to be a lawyer to be able to assert that there's something wrong with what the U.S. is doing.

This is not, by the way, to deny that crimes may have been committed, or to in any way present a judgement on the character of the individual involved. The one thing does not excuse the other.

The point is the overwhelming asymmetry between the power of the U.S. government and the power of individuals. That is what is immediately apparent to our intuitive sense of justice -- even if we are not able to put it into words.

The U.S. government and its military talk constantly about the new world of "asymmetric warfare" -- which basically boils down to how "unfair" it seems to them that individuals can wield any meaningful amount of power, given how minuscule their numbers or the firepower available to them. But what what we should spend much more time focusing on is "asymmetric policing" -- i.e. the overwhelming power that the U.S. state wields in every encounter with individuals.

What's the Big Trend?

I think the U.S. is in the midst of a big shift.  I think that for over a decade following 9/11 people have been so enmeshed in fear that their instincts weren't working properly. I think that we are in the midst of a slow process of awakening: people are emerging from the shadow of fear to a wider range of sensibility -- and they are realizing there are some things that are out of joint.

We've seen some examples of that already in 2013: the push-back against surveillance, the movement against drone killings, the enormous success of the campaign to end stop-and-frisk in New York City, the widespread refusal to allow an attack on Syria, the call for detente with Iran . . . .

Much work remains to be done.  What will be accomplished in 2014?

Related posts

In the film "The Response," as military judges are debating the fate of a detainee at Guantanamo, one of them says, "Okay, if 9/11 is the measuring stick, are we a great nation because of the blow we took? Or because how we, as a country, respond to that blow? The response matters. Our response defines us . . . . "

(See Why Have We Built A Monument To Bin Laden?)

One issue that has a key place in the midterm elections in 2014, I believe, is surveillance.  With each passing day, I am hearing more and more people say that the surveillance issue is something that a wide spectrum of people are deeply upset about. That includes people on the right as well as people on the left -- people who don't usually talk with each other, much less work together for positive change!

(See The Surveillance Issue: The Fulcrum of the 2014 Election?)



In Chicago, the biggest symbol of asymmetric state power is the Cook County Jail: it is the club that the state uses to compel defendants to take plea deals.

(See Free Them All)

VIVAS! to the "Unlawful Enemy Combatants"

The current conduct of the "war on terror" depends fundamentally on placing certain people "beyond the pale" -- in other words, entitled to neither civilian justice (because they are fighters) nor military justice (because they are not "soldiers"). They belong to a third, ill-defined category, that of "unlawful enemy combatant". They exist in legal limbo. This is the basic fact exposed in the film The Response, about the Combatant Status Review Tribunals.

I remember being at a screening of "The Response" at Columbia University in January, 2010, and hearing the legal scholar Matthew Waxman talk about the possibility that the legal field really needed to address this third, not-civilian, not-military status. At the time, I felt an inward revolt against this categorization, this reduction of people to "non-person" status. I held as an article of faith an idea I learned in Jane Mayer's book, The Dark Side: there is no such thing as a person who does not have a status under the Geneva Conventions.

I maintain my view that the types of combatant status defined under the Geneva Conventions should be our guidepost. But now I am also beginning to wonder if this notion of a "third type of status" -- one that differs sharply from our conventional notion of soldiers as "state actors" -- isn't pointing us to some profound truth about war and peace, violence and non-violence.

WHAT IF we stopped the pretense that "terrorism" is something different than "war"? (War IS terror.)

WHAT IF we admitted that, in terror/war, it is the commission of acts of violence and the injury of victims that is at issue? (Every other aspect of "military affairs" is a sideshow.)

WHAT IF we began to ask what ethics enter into the commission of acts of violence -- and in what ways this may be different when violence is committed in the service of a personal conviction/choice vs. when violence is committed in the service of state power? (In other words, personal responsibility EXISTS.)

Today, the U.S. government assassinates people week in, week out, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia, using drones and other means, and the mainstream U.S. press unquestioningly publishes accounts of these killings, parroting characterizations of the dead as "terrorists" or "militants." And hundreds of people -- technicians, operators, analysts, etc. -- are in the "kill chain" for each of those killings, with very little sign that any of them ever raise a moral objection.

It has long ago been pointed out that these victims are in many cases indistinguishable from people who were hailed as "heroes" when they fought conscientiously against the Soviet invaders of Afghanistan (viz. Charlie Wilson's War).

I was recently present when a leader in the field of war crimes investigation denounced the failure of international courts to act on reports of war crimes. When "lawful" combatants can commit depredations with impunity, is the "law of war" and "military law" really of any significance?

SO . . . .

Is it possible that the so-called "unlawful" type of combatant is not more violent or less principled than the so-called "lawful" type?

Is it possible that the so-called "unlawful" type of combatant is, in fact, less violent and more principled than the so-called "lawful" type?

And if either or both of these are, in fact, the case, what consequences does this imply for human society?

These questions need to be addressed.

* * * * *

ON THE IMAGE ACCOMPANYING THIS POST
My children grew up in Lexington, MA, where they were given a very clear idea of the heroism of "irregular" combatants.

ON THE TITLE TO THIS POST
I grew up in Chatham, NJ, where we also had a Revolutionary tradition, but one that was a bit more conventional than the one to which my children were exposed.

When I was in high school, our revered English teacher, Mr. Foley, taught us the line "Vivas to those who have failed ...." from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass Mr. Foley encouraged us to think about people who have the courage to try something really difficult and also deal with the consequences of failure. That was a unique perspective in that very mainstream suburb where I grew up. I'm not sure I've fully internalized Mr. Foley's lesson, even today. But I'm trying ....

I play not a march for victors only . . . . I play great marches for conquered and slain persons.

Have you heard that it was good to gain the day?
I also say it is good to fall . . . . battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won.

I sound triumphal drums for the dead . . . . I fling through my embouchures the loudest and gayest music to them,
Vivas to those who have failed, and to those whose war-vessels sank in the sea, and those themselves who sank in the sea,
And to all generals that lost engagements, and all overcome heroes, and the number-less unknown heroes equal to the greatest heroes known.

In June: REMEMBER #BAGRAM!

June is Torture Awareness Month. People everywhere are organizing events for June 26 -- International Day in Support of Victims of Torture -- as well as the days leading up to it. A list of events planned in Chicago is shown below.

I will be recognizing Torture Awareness Month by continuing to work to force transparency and accountability with respect to the thousands of detainees who have been left in prisons throughout Afghanistan as a result of the U.S. invasion and occupation.

For those who think President Obama has put the Afghanistan "episode" behind us, it is essential to recognize that the United States has created a massive human rights disaster through its detention regime in Afghanistan -- one that dwarfs Guantanamo in comparison -- and we cannot turn our back on it.

Despite efforts by the U.S. to wash its hands of the detention mess in Afghanistan, as the latest post by Jason Ditz at Antiwar.com attests, "US Still Runs Afghan Torture Prison: Officials Retain Effective Control Over Detainees in 'Afghan Custody'."

As Tina Foster, founder and Executive Director of the International Justice Network said in today's New York Times article ("Detainees Are Handed Over to Afghans, but Not Out of Americans’ Reach"), “The worst thing is the administrative detention regime the Afghans are adopting is exactly the same as what the U.S. government has been doing for the last 10 years .... The legacy left here by the U.S. is people disappeared into legal black holes.”

In June, make a special effort to #stopTorture ... close #Bagram ... #DEMILITARIZEafghanistan!

* * * * *

CHICAGO EVENTS DURING NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION AGAINST TORTURE

SATURDAY JUNE 23
Vigil: Water Tower (Michigan and Chicago) - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Please JOIN the Facebook event page and invite friends!

Film screening: "Beneath the Blindfold" 5:00 p.m. at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 25 East Pearson
Beneath the Blindfold interweaves the personal stories of four torture survivors who now reside in the U.S., but originally hail from different parts of the globe: South and Central America, Africa, and the U.S.
Please JOIN the Facebook event page and invite friends!
(Read my review of "Beneath the Blindfold"!)

TUESDAY JUNE 26
Morning rush hour vigils at various locations:
(a) 8th Day Center for Justice - weekly Peace Vigil
Where: (note revised location) Jackson & LaSalle
When: 8:00am - 9:00am
Bring a sign or we will bring some as well" (Note: this is a weekly vigil.)
(b) White Rose Catholic Worker
Where: Corner of Hollywood Rd. & Sheridan
When: 8:00am - 9:00am
(c) Su Casa Catholic Worker
57th St. and Lakeshore Drive (east side, bike path)
When: 8:00am - 9:00am
(d) Others - details TBA

PRESS CONFERENCE: Restore Torture Commission Funding! - Join us as we (a) call for the restoration of funding for the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission, to assure that its important work can continue; and (b) applaud plans by Governor Quinn to close the Tamms Supermax facility.
Where: State of Illinois Bldg - James R. Thompson Center (Randolph & Clark)
When: 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm
JOIN the Facebook event page and invite friends!

GATHERING in Support of Survivors of Torture - organized by representatives of a wide range of local and national organizations
Where: (note revised location) State of Illinois Bldg - James R. Thompson Center (Randolph & Clark)
When: (note revised time) 12:30pm - 1:30pm (immediately following press conference)
JOIN the Facebook event page and invite friends!

EVENING PROGRAM Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center presents:
United Nations Day in Support of Survivors of Torture
Dinner and program 6pm-9pm
Keynote address by Jobi Petersen Cates, Director of the Midwest Region, Human Rights Watch.
McCormick Lounge in Coffey Hall, Loyola University 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago
For more information contact Caroyln Morales, 773-751-4035.

FRIDAY JUNE 29
Outing to see My Kind of Town - play about Chicago police torture scandal - details TBA

* * * * *

Image of Parwan Detention Facility (Bagram, Afghanistan) from Wikipedia.

Related posts

The Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo holds weekly vigils at Dearborn and Jackson in Chicago every Friday at 4:30 p.m. to support the Guantanamo Hunger Strikers and to demand that Guantanamo be shut down. (Learn more about weekly vigils by the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo.)

It's not enough to just pull U.S. combat troops out of Afghanistan - we need to ground the drones, clear the prisons we've filled with detainees, remove the bases, get rid of the contractors, stop the training activities -- DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan!

(See DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan)







My most prominent memory of my first viewing of the Guantanamo film, The Response, is of one of the stars of the film -- Kate Mulgrew of Star Trek fame -- participating in a panel after the screening. I was blown away when she said, "I did this because our civil liberties in our country have been gravely damaged and we all need to contribute to repairing them."

(See Understanding What Guantanamo Means)
 

#RemembranceDay2012

Since NATO is shutting down Chicago on Monday, May 21, anyway ... maybe the time has come for the whole country to take a day to pause and think about those impacted by the war-making ways of the U.S. [[ See the full details of the ceremony held in Chicago on Monday, May 21, 2012, to remember the victims of NATO violence. ]]

We already have a holiday where we reflect on the price that we, ourselves, have paid in wars both domestic and foreign - though one whose significance is "more often honored in the breach than in the observance," in all honesty.

But do Americans ever stop to think about the victims of our military might and our lack of accountability for our actions?

The Shape of Me by Tomie Arai
(read more)

When will we look and see the victims of U.S. drones killing in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and a growing list of countries - rendered 100% INVISIBLE by this terrifying new technology?

When will we feel the cold and pain of displaced men, women, and children dying of hunger and exposure in refugee camps in Afghanistan and elsewhere?

When will we hear the cries of thousands of men picked up by U.S. and NATO forces and held without due process and tortured in dozens of hellholes across Afghanistan?

These are just a few of the current victims of U.S. war-making. The list goes on and on ... stretching back to the war in Iraq ... and U.S. sponsorship of Latin American oppression ... and on and on and on.

What will you do on Monday, May 21, to make it a true "Remembrance Day"? How will you draw others in to see the urgency of facing those we have injured? And to begin to see beyond ourselves?

The Shape of Me by Tomie Arai - Part of Windows and Mirrors: Reflections on the War in Afghanistan, a project of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). A reproduction of this image, together with other reproductions from the Windows and Mirrors project, is currently on exhibition at St. Luke's Lutheran Church Logan Square, Chicago. Tomie Arai has written, "The Shape of Me is a silkscreen monoprint composed of dozens of images of Afghan men, women and children superimposed over images from the Vietnam War. I have printed them in camouflage colors to suggest that civilian casualties often go unreported and the lack of media coverage renders them tragically invisible. In spite of these deliberate crimes of omission, and as a result of watchdog organizations like the AFSC, the world has borne witness to the deaths of thousands of innocent war victims in both Asia and the Middle East. In response to the consequences of war, each of us is presented with the responsibility to say something and do something to prevent more killing. For better or for worse, how we respond to the moral challenges of our times defines who we are, as citizens, as parents, as neighbors, and as members of the global community. The Shape of Me is about this challenge."


Related posts

As the Obama administration expresses fury at Pakistani resistance to further NATO war operations and excludes Pakistan's president from the NATO Summit, members of the wider community will gather to memorialize people killed by U.S. airstrikes and drone attacks in Pakistan as well as in the U.S. occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as U.S./NATO operations in Yemen, Libya, and elsewhere. Recognizing what veterans on Sunday called "the burden of blood that has stained these medals", Trinity Church has opened its lawn to expressions of grief and remembrance by the entire community.

(See #NATOvictims )







As we think about and discuss issues such as distancing ... authority, collateral damage, and pre-emptive violence ... surveillance ... and technology, does theology (e.g. the Creed) help us make choices about responsibility? Does it move us effectively from the "something oughta be done" stage ... through the "I can do something" stage ... up to and including the "I am doing something" stage?

(See Drones: Am I Responsible? on the Awake to Drones website)

I wonder if the outrage that many Muslims seem to feel at the suffering of other Muslims doesn't put us Christians to shame.

(See Fighting Back: It's alright as long as you're a Christian, right? )

#DEMILITARIZEafghanistan

You don't need to be in Chicago to protest NATO.

I'm asking everybody -- and especially everyone who has ever participated in #AfghanistanTuesday -- to help protest NATO from wherever they are.

We want to build a crescendo of opposition that culminates in a clear message to NATO on May 20/21 when they meet in Chicago: #DEMILITARIZEafghanistan!

It's clear that the message of the Obama administration and NATO will be that a "strategic partnership agreement" means the end of the war in Afghanistan. They are all prepared to announce "it's been a hard fight but we're turning the corner, so don't worry: we've got a timetable to pull the combat troops out...."

As I pointed out in a series of earlier blog posts, we need to DENOUNCE this celebratory message and demand REAL solutions to the mess that has been created in Afghanistan. What about the drone killings? What about the thousands of detainees? What about the institutionalization of night raids?

It's not enough to reduce the level of combat troops. The U.S. and NATO need to get out of the war-making business, and they need to start by DEMILITARIZING Afghanistan.

How will YOU help to build this message? By tweeting? Writing a blog post? Organizing a local protest? Creating artwork? Composing music? Getting people at your church involved? There are THOUSANDS of ways to tell NATO "We're not buying what you're selling! #DEMILITARIZEafghanistan!"

Just remember: whatever you do ... tweet #DEMILITARIZEafghanistan

* * * * *

I'm adding the need to clean up ordnance, depleted uranium, etc. to the list of unfinished business in Afghanistan, based on recent reporting from Antiwar.com. Below is an image showing Abdul Rahman, 18, who "was grazing his sheep when he accidentally detonated a 40mm grenade on the ground, resulting in the loss of his left hand. He lost his right hand a few years ago when he encountered unexploded ordnance in his village in Parwan province. Javier Manzano / For The Washington Post."

Related posts

When Afghan activist Malalai Joya spoke to a group in Chicago, she said it is not enough for the U.S. to pull out its remaining combat troops. The presence of U.S. bases assures that the violence and instability will continue. The bases are an especially important problem. Their presence virtually guarantees a whole chain of military activity.

(See Malalai: The "Big Lie" of U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan)

What is the total number of prisoners held in the detention archipelago set up by the U.S. in Afghanistan? Five thousand? Ten thousand? More?

(See THE ARCHIPELAGO: U.S./NATO's Parting Gift to Afghanistan)

In Iraq, hundreds of thousands of pounds of "depleted uranium" (DU) have been aerosolized and dispersed by being used in armor piercing munitions. DU emits alpha radiation and does not decay for hundreds of thousands of years, and in its aerosolized form is subject to uptake by many parts of the human body.

(See DU: Will we ever be able to say "We're done here" ?)

THE ARCHIPELAGO: U.S./NATO's Parting Gift to Afghanistan

When I was growing up, we were giving a very searing image of what was wrong with the Soviet Union -- and, by contrast, what was supposed to be right about the United States -- by a book by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. "The Gulag Archipelago" referred to the chain of prisons throughout the U.S.S.R to which enemies of the state were sent, and from which they never returned. You didn't have to actually read the book to get the point; the title said it all.

AFGHANISTAN

After several years of working with the film about Guantanamo -- "The Response" -- I've become aware that the U.S. also engages in the same practice -- setting up places to which enemies of the state are sent, and from which they never return. It's called "indefinite detention." And the highly visibly symbol of Guantanamo is just the tip of the iceberg of a chain of prisons and black sites around the world. A huge number of those prisons are in Afghanistan.

We all know the name "Bagram" -- the detention site controlled by the U.S. in Afghanistan. But much of the detention of people in Afghanistan is a joint undertaking by the U.S. in combination with the Afghanistan government, which operates the actual sites. As reported in the New York Times, a recent investigation "found evidence of routine human rights abuses and torture at 16 detention centers" in Afghanistan. That's out of 47 detention facilities, in 22 provinces, that were reviewed. It is these detention centers to which the U.S. consigns prisoners.

(And in case you thought Bagram itself was closing, see "U.S. Super-Sizing Afghan Jail It Promised to Abandon")

Beyond the question of proven abuse in these sites is the fundamental question: who are the detainees and what are the terms of their detention? Are they civilians? Or P.O.W.s? Or something in-between? Do they have a future? Or is their future indefinite detention?

What is the total number of prisoners held in the detention archipelago set up by the U.S. in Afghanistan? Five thousand? Ten thousand? More?

The U.S. (and its NATO partners) will not be done in Afghanistan until it has undone the damage that it has done by filling an archipelago of prisons -- hidden from sight -- with the "enemies" that the U.S. wants to make disappear.


The ARCHIPELAGO is just a part of the larger problem: the urgent need to DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan!

Related posts

It's not enough to just pull U.S. combat troops out of Afghanistan - we need to ground the drones, clear the prisons we've filled with detainees, remove the bases, get rid of the contractors, stop the training activities -- DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan!

(See DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan)

“The worst thing is the administrative detention regime the Afghans are adopting is exactly the same as what the U.S. government has been doing for the last 10 years .... The legacy left here by the U.S. is people disappeared into legal black holes.”

(See In June: REMEMBER #BAGRAM! )


Read this important blog post on U.S. complicity in torture in Afghanistan as captured prisoners are turned over to prisons that are known to torture them. "[E]ven though our coalition partners had already stopped transferring detainees to Afghans known to use torture in interrogations, the US continued doing so until last month."

(See VAU Afgh 101: Torture )

Chicago - Dec 10 Human Rights Day Protest

On International Human Rights Day
Protest Human Rights Violations by U.S. Government!

Date/Time: Saturday, December 10 1:00 p.m.
Location: Federal Plaza (Dearborn & Adams) Chicago, with procession to Occupy Chicago, State Street shopping district, and Obama 2012 HQ
On Facebook: Please "join" on the FB event page ... and invite LOTS of friends!!

Saturday, December 10th, is International Human Rights Day. Chicago World Can't Wait will lead a group of individuals and organizations in dramatizing U.S. human rights violations and publicizing the upcoming worldwide protests of the 10th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay Detention center on January 11th, 2012 (*See key links below).


Planned activities:

• meet at Federal Plaza at 1PM in orange jumpsuits and black hoods


• procession to LaSalle and Jackson for rally with Occupy Chicago about the Declaration of Human Rights and the sharp contrast with U.S. human rights violations


• procession on multiple paths, converging on State St. shopping district (State & Washington) (leafletting along the way)


• procession to Obama 2012 Headquarters (Michigan & Randolph) for "Nobel Revocation Ceremony"

The culmination of the action will take place at Obama 2012 Headquarters, where the "King of Norway" will revoke the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded exactly two years previously (December 10, 2009) to Barack Obama, on account of his violations of human rights and crimes against peace, including:

• failure to close Guantanamo
• expansion of indefinite detention at Bagram and other detention centers throughout Afghanistan


• assassinations, including assassinations of U.S. citizens, among other violations of due process


• widening of the the war of terror into Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia


• arrogation of war power to himself in the NATO attack on Libya


• threats of war against Iran

Please join Chicago World Can't Wait and others in this very important demonstration of opposition to war crimes by the U.S. government as the U.S. continues to wage illegitimate wars and widen the so-called "war on terror" (war OF terror!).

Please "join" on the FB event page ... and invite LOTS of friends!!

Contact: Jill McLaughlin jilreb [at] yahoo.com


AND ... Sunday, December 11th, screening of "The Response" in Logan Square

Everyone is welcome to attend the free screening the next day at St. Luke's Logan Square of the award-winning film about Guantanamo, "The Response." Sunday, December 11th, noon, 2649 N. Francisco, Chicago.


*More information on January 11th, 2012 worldwide protests of Guantanamo Bay Detention Center anniversary:

• Coalition of nationwide groups led by Amnesty International, World Can't Wait, and Witness Against Torture to assemble 2,700 orange-jumpsuited protesters in Washington D.C.


• Parallel protests across USA, plus international protests (London, Paris, Finland, others)


• Chicago action being organized by Witness Against Torture Chicago and fully supported by Midwest Antiwar Mobilization
-

Related posts

NOW THEREFORE, by the power vested in me, and on account of the actions on the part of the recipient today described, as well as others, I hereby declare the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize award to Barack H. Obama officially revoked.

(See Obama Nobel Peace Prize - REVOKED! )












Chicago was the site of major protests against U.S. detention practices in Guantanamo, as well as in Bagram, other prisons throughout Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the world, on and around January 11, 2012. We called for an end to indefinite detention, unfair trials, and torture.

(See Chicago Protests Guantanamo Detention) 

The Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo holds weekly vigils at Dearborn and Jackson in Chicago every Friday at 4:30 p.m. to support the Guantanamo Hunger Strikers and to demand that Guantanamo be shut down.

(Learn more about weekly vigils by the Chicago Coalition to Shut Down Guantanamo.)

VAU Afgh 101: Torture

M. Cherif Bassiouni, The Institutionalization
of Torture by the Bush Administration:
Is Anyone Responsible?

This is part of a series of eight "virtual teachins" on U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

The crime of Torture is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes. Here, we will look at the specific legal basis for charging perpetrators as war criminals for Torture, and list sources reporting relevant U.S. actions in Afghanistan.

Viewers of this page are strongly encouraged to contribute comments and additional sources in the comments section!

If the American public knew the nature of the crimes that its government was committing in Afghanistan, could it possibly sit still and not force an end to the war, and the removal of U.S. military, intelligence, and contractors from Afghanistan?

LEGAL BASIS
The crime of Torture is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes.

REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN
Read this important blog post on U.S. complicity in torture in Afghanistan as captured prisoners are turned over to prisons that are known to torture them. "[E]ven though our coalition partners had already stopped transferring detainees to Afghans known to use torture in interrogations, the US continued doing so until last month."

Torture and other outrages against detainees is the focus of the mass action in Washington, D.C. and around the country on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the detention center at Guantanamo - taking place January 11, 2012.


Related posts

What is the total number of prisoners held in the detention archipelago set up by the U.S. in Afghanistan? Five thousand? Ten thousand? More?

(See THE ARCHIPELAGO: U.S./NATO's Parting Gift to Afghanistan)

Virtual Antiwar University (VAU) 101 focuses on eight categories of U.S. war crimes, selected from Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes.

(See VAU Afghanistan 101: US War Crimes )

It is perhaps the signal achievement of the film "Beneath the Blindfold" that it portrays four different survivors, each of whose experience of torture was distinct from that of any of the others, and each of whom has an otherwise unique personality, and yet each makes clear that they share a long-lasting trauma. One leaves the film with a deeply-felt sense of the lasting trauma caused by torture of any kind.

(See The Revelations of "Beneath the Blindfold" )



Chicago was the site of major protests against U.S. detention practices in Guantanamo, as well as in Bagram, other prisons throughout Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the world, on and around January 11, 2012. We called for an end to indefinite detention, unfair trials, and torture.

(See Chicago Protests Guantanamo Detention)