BLUF: The use of enhanced interrogation techniques presents a severe threat to United States national security due to the unreliable information collected from interviews and the potential for terrorist organizations to use such techniques within their recruitment propaganda. United States government officials must continue the ban of enhanced interrogation techniques to preserve the trust of the Iraqi and Afghanistan people during counter-insurgency efforts, and develop alternative strategies for human intelligence.
During the War on Terror, the United States committed acts of torture, referred to as enhanced interrogation techniques, to at least 39 detainees. In fact, nearly all states between 1981 and 2010 engaged in counter-insurgency efforts have committed some form of torture. The prevalent use of torture in such settings conveys a common
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In its effort to combat terrorism, the United States produced more terrorists and terrorist sympathizers using enhanced interrogation techniques, straining the relationship with the local Iraqi and Afghanistan populace. Indeed, images of United States soldiers torturing detainees served as a powerful recruitment tool for Sunni jihadists who were able to persuade local nationals to support their crusade. Furthermore, the United States’ use of enhanced interrogation techniques proved to be ineffective as the information collected from interrogations was inadequate to combat the terrorist threat. Based on the available literature regarding the use of United States enhanced interrogation, three recommendations are provided.
• Preserve Executive Order 13491 - Ensuring Lawful Interrogations to promote the United States’ commitment to human rights. It is imperative that the United States act as an exemplar of liberty to the local Iraqi and Afghanistan people if it expects to prevail against the insurgent