Guantanamo Cuba Interrogations
During the II World war, the US military established a secret “offensive” program which was meant to obtain intelligence from the seized opponents called the MIS-Y. During this time, the program did not seem to be effective which led the US government into shifting their attention into studying the techniques that would be used by the other countries against them. This led to the development of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) program which was a result of the researchers studying interrogation from a defensive perspective. The program seemed effective in many ways although it had some limitations. ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW
The CIA D&I program which included both SITs and EITs was assessed by the IG Special Review in 2003 which concluded that it was effective in terms of gathering critical and useful information. According to the review, intelligence (I) helped to identify and capture more terrorists and also warned against their planned plots to attack the US. The program also helped to verify the information gathered from other detainees and offered information regarding al Qaeda schemes. The program enabled the gathering of accurate information that would otherwise be unavailable and gained the cooperation of the resisting detainees. Some other SSCI views supported the intelligence of CIA that it was effective in producing actionable and valuable information which helped to save lives and prevented possible further attacks.
However, the program had some limitations hence insufficient since it failed to uncover the relevant evidence whether these strategies were looming or not. It recommended that the CIA should carry out a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of the use of EITs. Nonetheless, the CIA has admitted its inability to carry out such an analysis of the effectiveness of the EITs. The SSCI study condemned the claims of the program’s effectiveness by quoting that the detainees who were subjected to the EITs produced unreliable intelligence. Senator McCain quoted that it is clear that abusing the prisoners would produce bad intelligence since the victims of torture would provide misleading information intentionally as long as they believed that this would make their captors free them. In view of the SSCI, there was no doubt that the detention program by the CIA played an important role in weakening the operations of the al Qaeda, although some detainees withhold information of intelligent value. For instance, Maad al-Qahtani from Saudi was detained for allegedly attempting to illegally get into the US at during the 9/11 when some terrorists took control of some planes and flew them to the Pentagon. It is after harsh interrogation techniques used against him that made him admit that he was involved in Osama bin Laden’s US mission.
Nonetheless, despite the efforts of the CIA to detain the terrorists, their actions were condemned by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which claimed that the detention only amounted to human torture more than rehabilitation. The team which included some medical officers claimed that some other medical workers at Guantanamo participated in the interrogations which they termed as violation of medical moral principles. However, the accused medics claimed that they only chipped in to provide information regarding the prisoners’ mental health conditions and their fitness for interrogation. The US also maintained that the torture of the al Qaida prisoners helped to extract critical information as the secret Guantanamo files revealed.
How Interrogations Can Be Improved
In order to improve the interrogations, some measures can be implemented. Such include improving the ability of the management team to handle the risks by succumbing additional concealed action programs to the special review program. This can also include extending the range of accountability reviews so that it becomes possible to gather as much information as possible during operations. It is recommendable that the information being used be factored into the selection process for the officers being assumed to handle the most sensitive assignments. The use of pain as a punishment to the lawbreakers is also an effective method due to its demonstration effect. As this is used to deter opposition and display the government power, the individuals are used to deter other people from proscribed acts, and the entire groups are executed in painful so that the control over empires are maintained. ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW
However, the effect of this public spectacle deeply depends on the character of the audience at hand. Media is a good source of information and thus, improving the interactions and recordkeeping with them can aid interrogation programs. The media is known to be equipped with information hence can give a helping hand when it comes to the gathering of information regarding terrorist attacks. The team deployed to carry out the interrogations should be the ones experienced in analyzing the subject matter so as to be able to conduct high-value terrorists’ interrogations. This team should be aimed at providing the national security by preventing possible terrorist attacks. Another measure to be taken is to plan and coordinate in advance before attempting interrogations to enable the government preserve gathering information which should be used in prosecutions and criminal investigations. The government should also consider housing the specialized interrogation group within the Federal Bureau of Investigation and ensure that the core task is the gathering of intelligence. A task force recommends that the interrogation group come up with a set of the best practices and propagate them for use in the training agencies concerning the interrogations. A scientific research program should also be developed which is to assess the comparative effectiveness of the techniques and approaches used in interrogations. This programs should be aimed at identifying the most effective existing techniques and developing new ones to enhance the process of intelligence interrogations. However, these interrogative techniques should put into consideration that they should be strictly implemented in accordance with the conditions, processes, and principles recorded in the Army Field Manual.
The US military has undergone various transformation since the end of the World War II. This follows various attempts of terrorist attacks in Cuba which have led the country to develop technically advanced interrogation approaches. Programs such as the CIA proved to be effective in interrogations since it would enable the gathering of useful information. However, the program was challenged by the Red Cross as a violation of the humanitarian. This led to the development of other techniques which would improve the interrogation process. Such include involving the media and Congress in the program as they are capable of obtaining critical information necessary for investigations. The militia is thoroughly trained on handling terror attacks in order to aid national security. However, this may not be effective since the trained and certified officers may end up completing their military terms of service without having to conduct a single interrogation. ORDER YOUR PAPER NOW