American - Educator | July 10, 1967 -
President Bush and his commanders announced early in the conflict that the Conventions applied.
John Yoo
ConflictEarlyPresidentHisApplied
Nonetheless, Article 5 makes clear that if an Iraqi civilian who is not a member of the armed forces, has engaged in attacks on Coalition forces, the Geneva Convention permits the use of more coercive interrogation approaches to prevent future attacks.
FutureMoreClearForcesEngaged
That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that have signed them.
ConflictBecauseOnlyBetweenStates
Congress's definition of torture in those laws - the infliction of severe mental or physical pain - leaves room for interrogation methods that go beyond polite conversation.
PainConversationCongressGoBeyond
It has never demonstrated any desire to provide humane treatment to captured Americans. If anything, the murders of Nicholas Berg and Daniel Pearl declare al Qaeda's intentions to kill even innocent civilian prisoners.
InnocentDesireIntentionsNever
Without territory, it does not even have the resources to provide detention facilities for prisoners, even if it were interested in holding captured POWs.
ResourcesWithoutEvenInterested
Al Qaeda operates by launching surprise attacks on civilian targets with the goal of massive casualties. Our only means for preventing future attacks, which could use WMDs, is by acquiring information that allows for pre-emptive action.
FutureActionSurpriseGoalMeans
Once the attacks occur, as we learned on Sept. 11, it is too late. It makes little sense to deprive ourselves of an important, and legal, means to detect and prevent terrorist attacks while we are still in the middle of a fight to the death with al Qaeda.
DeathFightLegalLateImportant
We can guess that the unacceptable conduct of the soldiers at Abu Ghraib resulted in part from the dangerous state of affairs on the ground in a theater of war.
WarDangerousSoldiersGroundState
American soldiers had to guard prisoners on the inside while receiving mortar and weapons fire from the outside. Guantanamo is distant from any battlefield, making it far more secure.
FireAmericanMoreSoldiersOutside
The Justices are currently considering a case, argued last month, which seeks to extend the writ of habeas corpus to al Qaeda and Taliban detainees at Guantanamo.
MonthLastTalibanCaseWhich
If the Court were to extend its reach to the base, judges could begin managing conditions of confinement, interrogation methods, and the use of information.
ReachInformationJudgesBeginCourt
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict John Yoo quotes