Topic > Targeting of Suspected Terrorists in the United States

On September 11, 2001, the United States of America fell victim to barbaric terrorist attacks by terrorists affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Nineteen men hijacked four US commercial airlines and deliberately flew them into World Trade Center 1, World Trade Center 2, the US Pentagon. The fourth plane was recaptured by a valiant group of passengers but ultimately crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, killing all on board. (Quick facts about the 9/11 hijackers par.2) This event shook the nation as many viewed the attack not only as a threat to national security, but as an attack on America's national identity. Nearly three thousand people were killed, and as a result, these attacks facilitated major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism. The forty-third President of the United States George W. Bush intervened and tried to calm the minds and hearts of Americans with the words “calm and resolute, even in the face of an ongoing threat.” (CITE) The president went on to promise that the United States would defeat terrorism, saying: "stop it, eliminate it, destroy it where it grows." (History.com staff par.5). After such a catastrophic event, national leaders began to ponder the following question; How can we prevent something like this from happening again? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In an effort to quell domestic terrorist attacks, the presidential administration of George W. Bush implemented a number of government programs that directly targeted suspected terrorists. Indeed, these initiatives would become a defining feature of George W. Bush's presidency. The program known as the Detention and Interrogation Program aimed to strengthen and ensure national security. He played a key role in developing the protocol on how to handle terrorist suspects and detainees. However, the program itself was quite controversial. The program specifically allowed the use of torture methods more formally known as “enhanced interrogation techniques.” These interrogation methods were established in an attempt to gain information and insights into any future terrorist activity. The so-called “EITs” or enhanced interrogation methods, authorized through the program, included but were not limited to; waterboarding, sleep deprivation, stressful positions, nudity and diet manipulation. The program ran away from the public eye for many years. An extensive study conducted by the Senate Intelligence Committee, the institution formally charged with providing information and analysis to federal government leaders, released a 6,000-page report on the Central Intelligence Agency's detention and interrogation program. The report made public on December 9, 2014 revealed rather alarming findings; it detailed how the CIA ineffectively tortured prisoners, provided false and/or misleading information to the news media and the public, impeded government oversight, and simply mismanaged the program. (“Senate Intelligence Committee Study on CIA Detention and Interrogation Program par.5) The study also concluded that more forms of torture were used than previously disclosed. The report alluded to the fact that the program may have “damaged the international standing of the United States” (CITE). This raises an important question: Are torture methods known as enhanced interrogation techniques too forceful to be effective? After the publication of the report on the program of.