Continuing with our coverage of the global reaction to the issue of torture in the United States, this article from Italy’s Corriere della Sera is perhaps the most sympathetic we have seen yet, to the position of those who say ‘harsh interrogation techniques’ were acceptable given the circumstances.
For Corriere della Sera, Guido Olimpio writes in part:
“The CIA memos encapsulate a brutal synthesis of the harshest years of the struggle against terror. A short torture manual written by security bureaucrats. Illegal behavior – sometimes unorthodox – that the George Bush White House made ‘legal’ by internal decree. The memos offer us a glimpse into how a democracy – and it certainly isn’t the first time – can lower its moral standards in the interest of protecting itself by any means. At the same time, one must recall the context.”
Olimpio then touches upon something that other nations find remarkable: America’s capacity for self-reflection:
“America has the capacity to confront – only sometimes, to be sure – inconvenient truths. Not every country can bring itself to disclose such confidential and embarrassing material that creates controversy in the country and provides ammunition to its many adversaries.”
On the debate over President Obama’s decision to release the memos but grant immunity to CIA officials, Olimpio writes:
“Such heated debate shows Obama’s decision to be a difficult and courageous one. He has taken dual responsibility: to reveal a vital fragment of the truth while demanding that cutthroats can be stopped by and within the law. Every day, however, this sacred principle will be severely tested – by reality and by criminals who have yet to lay down their arms.
By Guido Olimpio
Translated By Enrico del Sero
April 19, 2009
Italy – Corriere della Sera – Original Article (Italian)
The CIA memos encapsulate a brutal synthesis of the harshest years of the struggle against terror. A short torture manual written by security bureaucrats. A brief document that casts light on the “dark side” of the war against al-Qaeda. Clandestine operations, human rights violations, abductions and secret prisons. Illegal behavior – sometimes unorthodox – that the George Bush White House made “legal” by internal decree. What strikes one is the care with which the four administration experts prescribed the methods to apply in confronting the terrorists. Tables, schedules, the measure of pain to apply, the degree of force to use. Antiseptic parameters that have become unacceptable violence.
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