The Torture Memos: Rationalizing the Unthinkable

In the wake of the September 11th attacks, the United States government authorized the use of torture against suspected terrorists. This decision was based on a series of legal memos that were written by lawyers in the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) of the Department of Justice. These memos, which became known as the "Torture Memos," provided a legal justification for the use of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and other forms of psychological torture.

The Torture Memos: Rationalizing the Unthinkable

by Kenneth Paul Tan

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
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The Torture Memos were a major turning point in the War on Terror. They opened the door to the use of torture as a tool of interrogation, and they set a dangerous precedent for the future of human rights. The memos were also a major embarrassment for the United States government, and they have been widely condemned by human rights organizations and legal experts.

The Torture Memos were written by a small group of lawyers in the OLC, who were led by John Yoo. Yoo was a conservative lawyer who had a long history of supporting the use of torture. He argued that torture was necessary to prevent future terrorist attacks, and he claimed that it was legal under both domestic and international law.

The Torture Memos were based on a number of flawed arguments. First, Yoo argued that waterboarding and other forms of psychological torture were not "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. He also argued that the memos were protected by the state secrets privilege, and that they could not be used in court to challenge the legality of the torture program.

The Torture Memos were quickly challenged in court, and in 2004 a federal judge ruled that the memos were illegal. The judge found that the memos violated the Eighth Amendment, and that they were not protected by the state secrets privilege. The government appealed the ruling, but the Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

The Torture Memos remain a controversial issue, and they continue to be debated by legal experts and human rights organizations. The memos are a reminder of the dark side of the War on Terror, and they have left a lasting stain on the reputation of the United States government.

The Authors

The Torture Memos: Rationalizing the Unthinkable was written by a team of award-winning journalists, including:

Mayer is a staff writer for The New Yorker, and she has won the Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on national security and civil liberties. Mazzetti is a national security reporter for The New York Times, and he has won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the War on Terror. Crittenden is a contributing editor to The Nation, and she is the author of several books on national security and human rights.

Reviews

The Torture Memos: Rationalizing the Unthinkable has been praised by critics for its thorough research and its clear and concise writing. The book has been called "a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the dark side of the War on Terror." It has also been praised for its "powerful indictment of the Bush administration's torture program."

The Torture Memos: Rationalizing the Unthinkable

by Kenneth Paul Tan

4.4 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1118 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	305 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

FREE