Detainee Ethics: Terrorists as Subjects - Research Paper Example

?Detainee Ethics: Terrorists as Research s Introduction As our country continues to battle for the eradication of terrorism and terrorist cells around the world, our government also continues to advocate for the psychological profiling of the arrested suspects. Jonathan D. Romero in his article “Detainee Ethics: Terrorists as Research Subjects” (The American Journal of Bioethics 2003) takes a look back on the history of psychological profiling as first used by Nazi Germany psychologists during the reign of the Third Reich. He goes into details of the methods by which profiling was done and how the inhuman treatment of the suspects eventually led to the creation and passing of the Nuremberg Code in 1953 by the Pentagon in order to protect the detainees against the possibility of becoming human test subjects for various experiments or interrogation procedures. Romero then takes a look at the events happening over at Guantanamo Bay and the possibility that Americans have violated the very law that the Pentagon created in order to protect the detained. My analysis of the situation is that just like any other person caught in a bad situation, the detainees will prove to be uncooperative and tight lipped as Romero said, mainly because they are being tortured and treated inhumanly by their captors. Our people at Gitmo are no better than their Nazi counterparts many moons ago who used psychological torture and racial profiling of the Jews in order to get the information that they believe they need. As psychologists there is a need to understand how the human mind works when faced with extreme, sometimes life threatening situations. As Romero wisely suggested at the end of his article: ...explaining to captives that our values include respecting their right not to be part of a scientific study might just elicit more cooperation than otherwise. In light of the stakes for both our survival and our decency it seems a hypothesis worth exploring. (The American Journal of Bioethics 2003) Structural Analysis: Step 1: Identify any claim that sounds like a conclusion: The ultimate goal of these psychological profiles is of course to gain enough knowledge of the motivations of such people so that efforts to alter their views or at least anticipate their activities can be more targeted and effective. Behavioral scientists by no means agree that these kinds of assessments can help achieve these goals, especially under the circumstances in which the detainees are being held. But putting scientific legitimacy aside for the moment, it seems a sure bet that there has been no IRB review within the Justice Department of the psychological profiling project, in spite of the fact that "generalizable knowledge" about Islamic militants is the aim. From one perspective this is hardly surprising: Not only do the detainees occupy a fuzzy legal status that seems to disqualify them from the rights normally ascribed to prisoners, it's hard to think of a group less likely to inspire sympathy among Americans than al-Qaeda fighters. Step 2: Isolate each stated claim as a simple sentence The ultimate goal of these psychological profiles is of course to gain enough knowledge of the motivations of such people Efforts to alter their views or at least anticipate their activities can be more targeted and effective. Behavioral scientists by no means agree that these kinds of assessments can help achieve these goals, especially under the circumstances in which the detainees are being held. Not only do the detainees occupy a fuzzy legal status that seems to disqualify them from the rights normally ascribed to prisoners Step 3: Number each claim 1. The ultimate goal of these psychological profiles is of course to gain enough knowledge of the motivations of such people 2. Efforts to alter their views or at least anticipate their activities can be more targeted and effective. 3. Behavioral scientists by no means agree that these kinds of assessments can help achieve these goals, especially under the circumstances in which the detainees are being held. 4. Not only do the detainees occupy a fuzzy legal status that seems to disqualify them from the rights normally ascribed to prisoners Step 4: Translate each claim into standard English and all questions into declarative sentences. 1. A psychological profile gains knowledge regarding the motivation of terrorists. 2. By understanding the way the terrorists think, we can anticipate their activities and counter with more targeted and effective actions. 3. Behavioral scientists agree that these assessments do not insure achieving their goals due to the circumstances in which the detainees are being held. 4. All detainees rights should be respected Step 5. Delete any repeated claims. There are none in this passage Step 6. Clarify all vagueness and ambiguities. Detainees right to human treatment while under interrogation must be insured in order to get their cooperation. Step 7. Delete any unnecessary claims - There appears to be none to delete Step 8. Identify and number any unstated claims in the argument - There appears to be none Step 9. Reorganize the entire argument, renumbering each of the remaining discrete claims with the premises on top and the conclusion at the end. 1. A psychological profile gains knowledge regarding the motivation of terrorists. 2. [By understanding the way the terrorists think,] we can anticipate their activities and counter with more targeted and effective actions. 3. [Behavioral] scientists agree that these assessments do not insure achieving their goals due to the circumstances in which the detainees are being held. 4. All detainees rights should be respected Step 10. Place at the end of each conclusion (intermediate and final) the number(s) of the claims meant to read as premises. 1. A psychological profile gains knowledge regarding the motivation of terrorists. 2. [By understanding the way the terrorists think,] we can anticipate their activities and counter with more targeted and effective actions. 3. [Behavioral] scientists agree that these assessments do not insure achieving their goals due to the circumstances in which the detainees are being held. 4. All detainees rights should be respected. 1,2,3,4 Step 11. Construct the numerical analysis of the argument 1,2,3, -------- 4 Critical Assessment Romero presents an argument based on the “You catch more flies with honey” principle of interrogation. There have been numerous reports regarding the methods by which our military personnel manage to extract information from the detainees. Methods which, are in violation of the Nuremberg Code of which America was the author of. Therefore, we have a pretty much clear idea as to how and why the prisoners end up detailing certain information and submitting names of potential terrorists. They do so in order to stop the hurt, pain, and suffering that they are going through in the hands of their captors. In order to gain the full cooperation of the prisoners and prevent the psychological abuse that is represented by our military's advanced interrogation techniques, we must insist that the Nurember Code and its protection of these prisoners of war be respected. Enough evidence was presented within the text to prove that terrorists should also be considered prisoners of war based upon the definition of the term within the Nuremberg Code. Contrary to our military leaders beliefs, these people are not part of a gray area of interrogations that will allow for the abuse of the prisoner during interrogation. For as long as America defines itself at war with terrorism, these people are, for all intents and purposes, to be considered prisoners of war and should be accorded the respect that is set out for them within the Nuremberg Code. It is important to do this because men, regardless of their status and possible violations in life, require the highest degree of psychological and physical respect during times of war. Works Cited Moreno, Jonathan D. “Detainee Ethics: Terrorists as Research Subjects”. The American Journal of Bioethics. bioethics.net. 2003. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. Read More