Explaining Abu Ghraib: A Review Essay

Abstract

Four books written by social scientists and published in 2007 are reviewed: The Trials of Abu Ghraib: An Expert Witness Account of Shame and Honor, by Stjepan Mestrovic; The Lucifer Effect, by Philip Zimbardo; Torture and the Twilight of Empire: From Algiers to Baghdad, by Marnia Lazreg; and Torture and Democracy, by Darius Rejali. Prior research on torture has left unsettled the question of the importance of training and direct orders as causes of torture, and the role of liberal democratic institutions in preventing torture. The four books demonstrate that the Abu Ghraib torturers did not act on their initiative but were encouraged to commit torture by their superior officers and by the effects of their social environment. The torturers did not receive formal training in methods but did receive informal instruction from CIA and Guantanamo interrogators. While democratic states use torture less frequently than nondemocratic ones, they nevertheless do use torture sometimes when faced with severe threats to security. Of the four books, Rejali's Torture and Democracy stands out for its depth of research and quality of analysis.

The Effects and Effectiveness of Using Torture as an Interrogation Device: Using Research to Inform the Policy Debate

“…A lack of clear instructions, a lack of specific training, a lack of direct supervision (particularly during the night shifts), and a lack of accountability all contributed to the extreme and widespread abuse at Abu Ghraib (Einolf, 2009;Gourevitch & Morris, 2008). Group cohesiveness also appears to have played a role.…”

Leadership and Followership Beliefs of Reserve Officers’ Training Corp Cadets

“…The My Lai Massacre in Vietnam in 1968 and the torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib in 2003(seeReinke, 2006) are two such cases that became public knowledge. Sometimes, socialization may facilitate unethical behavior, as found in Haritos-Fatouros' (2003) and Huggins, Haritos-Fatouros, and Zimbardo's (2002) studies of torture (discussed inEinolf, 2009).…”