Reference no: EM132160420
A mastermind behind 9/11, Khalid Sheik Mohammad (KSM), was captured in Pakistan in March of 2003. Immediately following his capture, KSM was subjected to a series of controversial interrogation methods, often referred to as enhanced interrogation techniques.
These techniques included the now infamous waterboarding technique.
Waterboarding is a technique that involves immobilizing subjects on their back with their head inclined downwards.
The subject's face is then covered with a cloth, and water is poured over the cloth, which ultimately triggers the subject's gag reflex and causes the subject to experience the sensations of drowning.
This technique is not a new technique; it has been around for hundreds of years and is used by nations around the world to collect intelligence.
You are an intelligence research specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice and have been asked by the U.S. Attorney's office to provide a written brief on the pros and cons of using waterboarding as a technique to collect intelligence.
Assignment Guidelines
• First, revise your Week 4 Key Assignment according to instructor feedback and peer review.
• Next, address the following, and include your responses in your Key Assignment Final Draft.
o For this portion of the assignment, you must discuss the use of waterboarding to collect intelligence.
o You must specifically discuss the legality of the technique, moral and ethical considerations, and the overall effectiveness of using this method.
o In addition, you should also discuss the following:
What is the current U.S. policy on using waterboarding?
Why is waterboarding being considered as a technique now, when we have faced greater threats in the past?
Is there a difference between imitation torture and actual torture?
o Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.
Assignment Objectives
• Describe and discuss the challenges in collecting intelligence for local law enforcement and for national security.
• Describe and discuss the policy and legal issues of the Patriot Act, wire-tapping, advanced interrogation techniques, and other cultural/legal issues associated with collecting information on US citizens.
• Evaluate the impact of local policies and strategies on the collection, sharing, coordinating and analyzing of intelligence.