Coercive techniques developed by Bush Administration

Aoife Power

22nd April 2009

A new report from the Senate Armed Services Committee has revealed that the Bush Administration had planned for torture despite protestations at the time that torture was used as a last resort when terrorist suspects wouldn’t talk.

Before the Bush Administration even had Al-Qaida suspects, it found the need to develop interrogation techniques and train interrogators in these new coercive techniques.

According to the report ,“senior officials in the United States government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees.

"This report has further undermined the justifications for the Iraq war, as it reveals that vital information linking Al-

Qaida and Iraq was obtained using these ‘coercive techniques’ rendering the information “unreliable”.

Surprisingly, President Obama has suggested that senior members of the Bush Administration who approved the use of interrogation techniques and torture may face prosecution. Obama has said that those who CIA and military agents who carried out interrogations would not face prosecution as they had “carried out some of these operations within the four corners of legal opinions or guidance that had been provided from the White House.”

However, regarding those of the Bush Administration who approved the techniques, Obama has left the decision to prosecute up to the Attorney General, Eric Holder.

No individuals have been named as yet, though some suspect that Bush’s Attorney General, Alberto Gonzalez, may face some tough questions in the future.