Sixth Amendment Pros And Cons

Background & Context: The War on Terror has plagued the wellbeing of nations across the globe since its start in 2001 (Peters). This ‘war’ has been viewed as: an “ideological struggle” between the US and who the United States believes is involved in terrorist organizations (Peters). Post 9/11, the United States was in culture shock. This was due to the sudden intrusion of fear that blossomed in the hearts and minds of Americans. Terrorism was making itself a real and imposing threat. To combat this fear, the Bush Administration launched successive attacks on the terrorist organization Al Qaeda whom claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks (Peters). This led to the fall of the Taliban government in Afghanistan (Peters). But the struggle

Most controversial was the US’s use of Guantanamo Bay for harsh and inhumane torture (Mayer). For the first time in US history, the government allowed for the psychological & physical torture of captives (Mayer). First, this undermines the eighth amendment which makes cruel and unusual punishment illegal (Madison). Secondly, this undermines the sixth amendment guaranteeing the right to a trial. How are captives being tortured, a cruel and unusual punishment, without a trial? According to Jane Mayer, the author of The Dark Side, the US used lawyers to make such actions ‘legal’ and that the ‘punishments’ were not cruel and unusual as long as they didn’t meet the lawyers definition of ‘torture’. This is a prime example of political corruption. To be politically corrupt does not show much change in US values. However, the manner of this political corruption does. By openly going against the US Constitution and publicly defending these decisions the US has made a very evident statement: no longer does it abide by the political values it once represented. Through the fear that developed during the attacks of 9/11 the US has decided to counter attack not with reason but with the sole purpose of revenge at the cost of its own political

From the increasing xenophobia & hate crimes, to the massacre of innocent people and the infringement of human rights, there is change. This change impacts the United States on a national and global scale. Foreign leaders will take note to the inhumane actions of the US. Allies will take notice to these actions. The US has and is continuing to change its reputation as a fair world leader to that of a selfish one. The people of the US have been given a new outlook on how to deal with terrorism. The answer is now revenge in the form of terrorism. This is defining of the future actions that the US will take in its fight against terrorism. Yet with all this evidence comes the limitations to what research is available within these war ridden countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. Through the research conducted this resolution is credible and thorough, however it may lack certain perspectives which were inaccessible or unable to be incorporated within the given time