The politics of prisoner abuse
Subtitle: the United States and enemy prisoners after 9/11
By: David P. Forsythe
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 315
ISBN-13: 9781107004665
Subjects: Prisoners of war; War on Terrorism, 2001-2009; September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001; Abuse of; Torture; Political prisoners
Description: "When states are threatened by war and terrorism, can we really expect them to abide by human rights and humanitarian law? David Forsythe's bold analysis of US policies towards terror suspects after 9/11 addresses this issue directly. Covering moral, political and legal aspects, he examines the abuse of enemy detainees at the hands of the US. At the centre of the debate is the Bush Administration, which Forsythe argues displayed disdain for international law, in contrast to the general public's support for humanitarian affairs. He explores the similarities and differences between Presidents Obama and Bush on the question of prisoner treatment in an age of terrorism and asks how the Administration should proceed. The book traces the Pentagon's and CIA's records in mistreating prisoners, providing an account which will be of interest to all those who value humanitarian law"--

"This is a book about U.S. policies toward enemy prisoners after the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks on New York and Washington of September 11, 2001. It analyzes the central moral, political, and legal factors in the U.S. policy making process that led the George W. Bush Administration to abuse prisoners on a widespread basis. It also covers the early years of the Barrack Obama Administration"--
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1. Prisoner abuse and political morality in historical perspective; 2. Political morality and the George W. Bush Administration; 3. Bush lawyers and the politics of legal interpretation; 4. The military: Afghanistan, Guantanamo, Iraq; 5. The CIA: kidnapping, black sites, renditions; 6. Legal justice: detention classifications and military commissions; 7. Conclusion: prisoner abuse and the politics of transitional justice; 8. Annexes.