Pentagon Wants Psychologists to End Ban on Interrogation Role

[inanna]

Source: New York Times

JAN. 24, 2016

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has asked the American Psychological Association to reconsider its ban on the involvement of psychologists in national security interrogations at the Guantánamo Bay prison and other facilities.

The Defense Department reduced its use of psychologists at Guantánamo in late 2015 in response to the policy approved by the association last summer.

<snip>

Although “the Department of Defense understands the desire of the American psychology profession to make a strong statement regarding reports about the role of former military psychologists more than a dozen years ago, the issue now is to apply the lessons learned to guide future conduct,” Mr. Carson wrote.

“The context of future conflicts — whether a traditional international armed conflict like World War II or the Korean War, a defense of the homeland against international terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda or the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or something entirely unpredictable — is today unknown,” he continued. “A code governing psychologists’ ethics in future national security roles needs to fit all such contexts. We respectfully suggest that a blanket prohibition on participation by psychologists in national security interrogations does not.”


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/us/politics/pentagon-wants-psychologists-to-end-ban-on-interrogation-role.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[allan01]

1. i thought we were supposed to shut that down

[hobbit709]

2. Fuck the brass, if they want to commit war crimes they can do it on their own

without any semilegit cover from the shrinks.

[BillZBubb]

3. Hopefully the APA tells them no dice.

The chance of abuse is almost 100%.

Of course the way things are in the US today, in an "emergency" the military/security state apparatus will get a waiver and a free pass. So, they'll do what they want when they want.

[Odin2005]

4. As a Psych person, FUCK NO!

[Jack Rabbit]

5. Before the psychologists resume cooperating with with DoD, there needs to be an understanding

As things are now, the APA has taken the right stand not to resume services to the Pentagon. There needs to be an understanding that, although no one was held accountable for war crimes related to the War on Terror, war crimes were indeed committed and that that, on the request of the DoD, psychologists were party to these crimes.

The understanding could be simply that a psychologist will not be required to participate in any questionable DoD programs, such as those associated with the War of Terror and that any psychologist who agrees to participate is at risk of facing professional disciplinary action from the APA or being charged with war crimes either in federal court or an international tribunal.

It might go a long way if the US government would agree to prosecute Bush era war criminals in federal court or, if that is no longer possible, cooperating with International Criminal Court in bringing war criminals to trial. This would include such elite war crimes suspects as former usurping President George W. Bush, former usurping Vice President Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, who served as Secretary of Defense in the Bush Junta.

[cstanleytech]

6. Tell you what, I will support ending the ban just as soon as the ones who conducted and ordered

waterboarding and other methods of torture like exposure to extremes of hot and cold are arrested, tried and sentenced to jail for the rest of their lives....................deal?

[Little Tich]

7. The APA has already been implicated in condoning and promoting torture once,

why do we have to do all this all over again?

[Solly Mack]

8. "more than a dozen years ago,... issue now to apply the lessons learned to guide future conduct..."

Because torture was such a long time ago that it hardly needs mentioning, and golly, now we know we shouldn't torture, so we'll do better in the future.

Fuckers.

Please.

[reddread]

9. tax dollars at work