American Torture from the Philippines to Iraq av William L. (Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow Harvard University's

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What explains the United States'' persistent use of torture over the past hundred-plus years? Not only is torture incompatible with liberal values; it is also risky and frequently ineffective as an interrogation method. In American Torture from the Philippines to Iraq, William L. d''Ambruoso argues that the norm against torture has two features that help explain why liberal democracies like the United States have continued to violate it. First, the norm against torture paradoxically contributes to the belief that torture works. In naming certain behaviors as appropriate, norms also define what is inappropriate. Some policymakers and soldiers believe (not always unreasonably) that in the nasty world ofinternational politics, cheaters¿those who are willing to break the rules¿have an advantage, especially in security matters. "Bad" becomes "good" because it appears effective, and rule-following is perceived as na¿ and dangerous. Second, the anti-torture norm is not sufficiently specified