Gonzaga Debate Institute 2010

Credibility Adv. – I/L – Torture Bad – US Credibility

Torture ruins the US image abroad

HRF 8 (Human rights first, http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/media/etn/2008/alert/313/, date accessed: 6/25/2010) AJK NEW YORK—Fifteen former interrogators and intelligence officials with more than 350 years collective field experience have declared that torture is an “unlawful, ineffective and counterproductive” way to gather intelligence, in a statement of principles released today. The group of former interrogators and intelligence officials released a set of principles to guide effective interrogation practices at the conclusion of a meeting convened by Human Rights First last week in Washington. The meeting participants served with the CIA, the FBI and the U.S. military. The principles are based on the interrogators and intelligence officials’ experiences of what works and what does not in the field. Interrogation techniques that do not resort to torture yield more complete and accurate intelligence, they say. The principles call for the creation of a well-defined single standard of conduct in interrogation and detention practices across all U.S. agencies. At stake is the loss of critical intelligence and time, as well as the United States’ reputation abroad and its credibility in demanding the humane treatment of captured Americans. The full text of the principles and brief bios of its signers follow below. The group gathered together in Washington last week for two days to discuss the most effective ways to obtain timely and credible information from suspected terrorists and other individuals who threaten the security of the United States, during which time they also met with Presidential campaign advisors and Members of Congress to discuss these issues.
Torture is immoral, ineffective, and decimates our global image

Jordan 9 (Chris, date accessed: 6/25/2010) AJK
One principle we should accept as we conduct our foreign policy is that having more friends and fewer enemies in the world is a good thing. Getting people to admire and believe in the United States is preferable to being hated and despised. A tarnished image abroad is dangerous for our national security. The resulting widespread anti-Americanism helps lead to the conditions in which terrorism and militant extremists thrive. Recruiting efforts for these groups are naturally more successful in countries hostile to the United States. On the other hand, when the United States is viewed as a benevolent global leader — as opposed to a hypocritical bully — the country is made safer. Other nations are more likely to support our policy objectives and cooperate in intelligence-sharing to fight common threats. Also, it’s much more difficult for terrorists to find recruits among pro-American populations. Abu Ghraib and the waterboarding torture scandals have undermined U.S. moral leadership in the world, tarnished our image abroad and made us all less safe. Not only does torture hurt our national security, but it simply doesn’t work. Many U.S. interrogators from different generations and conflicts have come forward to say that the information gathered from torture is often inaccurate and that there are better, more effective ways to get even the toughest opponents to talk. Supporters of torture often resort to the “ticking-time-bomb scenario” to make their justification. Suppose a terrorist is in custody, and he has crucial information about the location of a nuclear bomb that is about to explode in a major U.S. city. They argue that torture would be justified in order to save American lives. They point out that as early as 2002, waterboarding and other techniques have foiled numerous terrorist plots. Former CIA al-Qaida interrogator Jack Cloonan told U.S. foreign policy that the ticking-time-bomb situation is “a red herring. In the real world, it doesn’t happen.” In a 2008 interview with Vanity Fair, when asked if these techniques had in fact foiled any terrorist plots, FBI Director Robert Mueller’s response was, “I don’t believe that has been the case.” The bottom line is that arguments in support of torture techniques such as waterboarding are highly suspect. Torture is morally wrong — and illegal under international law. It tarnishes the image of the United States in the world. It creates more enemies and hatred toward us. It fuels the recruitment efforts of terrorists, and it is ineffective at extracting accurate information.

Credibility Adv. – I/L – Torture Bad – US Credibility

Torture damages US credibility abroad

Warrick 9 (Joby, http://dailyuw.com/2009/5/6/torture-wrong-recent-scandals-have-undermined-us-i/, date accessed: 6/25/2010) AJK
The Obama administration's chief intelligence officer has told the White House that harsh interrogations of suspected al-Qaeda officials produced "valuable" information, but he added that it is impossible to tell whether the same intelligence leads might have been obtained using less controversial methods. "The information gained from these techniques was valuable in some instances," he said in a statement yesterday, "but there is no way of knowing whether the same information could have been obtained through other means." Blair, Obama's appointee to oversee the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, summarized in the statement an assessment he gave his staff in a memo last week, according to U.S. officials familiar with the document. Blair is a participant in a White House-ordered review of CIA interrogation methods used on high-value terrorism suspects between 2002 and 2006. "The bottom line is these techniques have hurt our image around the world," Blair said in the statement. "The damage they have done to our interests far outweighed whatever benefit they gave us and they are not essential to our national security." Blair said he supported Obama's decision to ban "enhanced interrogation techniques," and he rejected assertions by former vice president Richard B. Cheney and others that the methods were crucial to protecting the country. He added that he had backed Obama's decision last week to order the release of Justice Department memos that authorized the use of harsh interrogation practices.
Torture devastates the perception of America abroad

Thomas and Hirsh 5 (Evan and Michael, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10020629/site/newsweek/print/1/displaymode/1098, date accessed: 6/25/2010) AJK
But at what cost? While many Americans probably don't wish to know too much about the "dark side" of intelligence gathering, the horrific images of tortured detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a terrible toll on America's standing in the world. "It's killing us. It's killing us," says Sen. John McCain of Arizona, whose NEWSWEEK essay on the subject follows this article. As a POW in Vietnam who had his arm broken and worse, McCain knows something about torture. His bill to ban "cruel, inhuman or degrading" interrogation techniques passed the Senate last month 90 to 9. But Cheney, with CIA Director Porter Goss in tow, has been lobbying against McCain. As written, the administration argues, the McCain legislation would tie the CIA's hands in the war on terror and potentially expose CIA operatives to prosecution at home and abroad. Compromises are possible. "There's a common desire to work this out," says the senior Bush aide. Torture lite—and its bastard child, detainee abuse—are coming out of the shadows into the political arena. Cheney sometimes seems like a quieter version of Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men" ("You can't handle the truth!"), and last week President George W. Bush in effect attacked the administration's critics as unpatriotic. Yet there is a growing willingness in the courts and body politic to deal with the sometimes unpleasant questions of how to incarcerate and question suspected terrorists, and not just because John McCain is gearing up to run for president. In Britain last week, Parliament rebuffed Prime Minister Tony Blair's bill to hold terror suspects without charging them for 90 days, and the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled that it will rule on the constitutionality of so-called military commissions set up to try terrorists after 9/11. Compromise Possible? Cheney and McCain (at a 2001 Washington event) don’t see eye-to-eye on the torture debate The American public seems split. According to the latest NEWSWEEK Poll, 44 percent of the public thinks torture is often or sometimes justified as a way to obtain important information, while 51 percent say it is rarely or never justified. A clear majority—58 percent—would support torture to thwart a terrorist attack, but asked if they would still support torture if that made it more likely enemies would use it against Americans, 57 percent said no. Some 73 percent agree that America's image abroad has been hurt by the torture allegations.