Ethics & the War on Terror - Assignment Example

Ethics and War on Terror al Affiliation November 21, The idea of treating terrorists as prisoners of war is right andshould be upheld to discourage the act. The Geneva convention categorically states the rights of individuals but these rights are immediately infringed into if one is proven to have the intention of directly or indirectly affecting the lives of other people adversely. Terrorists are known to have ill motives which include mass killings such as the attack done on the United States in 2001 and in East Africa (Nairobi and Dar es salam).

These attacks took the lives of many as well as rendering many crippled. Basing on this it would be inappropriate to accord them the rights stipulated in the Geneva meeting as they are a threat to the society. Secret prisons such as the Guantanamo Bay are important in curbing terrorism. Terrorists are often scared by the thought of being taken to such prisons which have negative qualities and where only high profile law breakers are taken (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 2014). The chances of escaping such harsh conditions alive are negligible and so that acts as a negative motivation to discourage the acts of terrorism.

On the other hand such prisons may not be the best as the United States may not be so certain that the criminals will be accorded the right punishment as per their actions. Chances of escape are also increased. Responding to the student’s post on the Patriot Act that allows the government to access one’s texts, emails and chat messages, I concur with the argument that is presented that this is right since only the criminals have anything to hide in such conversations. This trend should therefore be upheld to address the cases of terrorisms and discourage it.

The conversations often contain leading information to the criminals hide outs and their ill motives. ReferenceNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). (2014). Countering Terrorism. Available at.