The Use Of Psychology Against Terrorism: The Guantanamo Affair
Psychologist James E. Mitchell was interviewed in connection with the military judgment in the Guantanamo case. And many were appalled by his statements. When asked about the use of anti-terrorism psychology, Mitchell not only admitted that he used his knowledge to torture prisoners, but he also claimed that he would do it again.
Keep in mind that the concept of fighting terrorism became popular following the September 11 attacks in the United States. This country then, in a way, declared war on irregular armed groups in the Middle East.
The invasion of Afghanistan is one of the events that followed the declaration of war. The persecution of members of these irregular armed groups led to the arrest of many of them and subsequently to their confinement within the Guantanamo military base. First through Wikileaks and then through other media, the world learned about the tortures suffered by Guantanamo prisoners through the help of psychologists.
Two psychologists involved in the Guantanamo affair
It all started when the famous “Manchester Handbook” was found. It was a guide belonging to the Al Qaeda group dedicated to their followers. This guide indicated, among other things, how the latter could lie during an interrogation. Psychologists James E. Mitchell and Bruce Jessen analyzed this document, which they then sent to American authorities.
Through this analysis, they managed to draw attention to their ability to confront Al Qaeda’s methods during interrogation. At that time, the two men were working as psychologists and instructors at the American School SERE ( Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape).
Their job was to train American soldiers to resist the various pressures they might be subjected to if they were captured following an armed confrontation. Following the analysis of the Manchester Manual, the work of these two psychologists took the opposite turn : they were to use their knowledge to interview the prisoners.
The indecent use of psychology at the Guantanamo military base
Mitchell and Jessen are the psychologists behind the torture prisoners were subjected to at Guantanamo. If we take a closer look, we can say that they justified the use of barbaric methods that have existed for thousands of years by creating a psychological theory.
According to these “specialists”, they only put into practice the theory of learned helplessness. We remind you that this theory was formalized by psychologist Martin Seligman in 1967. This theory tells us the following: a person learns to behave passively in the face of an aggressor, starting from the instilled premise that he does not not the ability to respond to attacks.
Mitchell and Jessen roughly interpreted this theory and created what they called the “enhanced interrogation technique”. This technique consists, in reality, of systematic physical abuse including isolation, deprivation of food and sleep, in order to crack the detainees. This technique has no added value, it is simply sadism.
The danger behind this case
These two psychologists did not even speak the language of the prisoners. Yet they were personally involved in the torture cases. They themselves applied certain dubious procedures such as beating the head for hours or choking. What is most disconcerting about this affair is that there are numerous clues which reveal that they did not even achieve their ends: many of the prisoners resisted and did not provide the information expected by the interrogators.
During the trial against five prisoners in the Guantanamo case, Mitchell, not accused, was called to testify. Together with his colleague Jenssen, they earned $81 million for their work. The two men are protected by a clause which includes five million dollars against possible judgments against them. Nevertheless, these judgments will never take place, because the Guantanamo affair is characterized by total impunity.
It is serious that one of the greatest powers in the world supports and encourages such cruel practices. It is also serious that the term psychology, and not psychology, is used to justify barbaric acts.
Our thoughts In this article, discover the differences and similarities between organized crime and terrorism so as not to confuse these two phenomena.
