Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Savage War of Peace


For John, BLUFIf we want to lead the world in the values area we need to dial back the EIT and Black Sites.  Nothing to see here; just move along.



From the web magazine War on the Rocks we have a piece on the issue of Torture, or Enhanced Interrogation Techniques.  The headline is "Torture in a Savage War of Peace:  Revisiting the Battle of Algiers".  Back when I was young, in the 1950s, I must have been a bit of a Franco-phile.  I followed the Battle for Dien-Bien Phu on the radio.  I knew that French Prime Minister Pierre Mendès France had tried to introduce milk as a suitable drink in France.  I followed the return of Charles de Gaulle to lead the French People.  And, around 1959, on the recommendation of my Father, I read The Question.

In their article, War on the Rocks provides a reprint of an extract from Historian Alistair Horne's book on the French fight to retain Algeria as part of Metropolitan France, A Savage War of Peace.

Torture, or Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, are wrong.  The Bush Administration should not have gone down that rabbit hole.  On the other hand, I can understand how there was movement in that direction.  Who knew what was going to happen next?  The unfolding of events on 9/11 just seemed to go on and on and we had no idea what would happen on 9/12.

I am not one of those calling of prosecutions, but I am one of those calling for us to repudiate those techniques and to return to our previous legal standards.  I think former Vice President Chaney is wrong in this area.

I commend to you the article from War on the RocksHere again is the link.

Regards  —  Cliff

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