Summary
Contents
Debate is an important part of the classroom experience. However, most debate-style readers do a disservice to students by selecting readings from disparate sources that end up talking past one another. As a part of the Debating Politics series from CQ Press, this reader is different. Featuring paired pron pieces written specifically for this volume, Debating Terrorism encourages students to actively grapple with the central debates and questions surrounding the subject of terrorism and counterterrorism . With topics ranging from the root causes of terrorism, the role of religion in terrorism, whether suicide terrorism is ever justified, whether the spread of democracy can help defeat terrorism, and what trade-offs, if any, should exist between security and civil liberties, GottliebÆs outstanding cast of contributors returns in this edition, compelling students to wrestle with the conflicting perspectives that define the field. Gottlieb frames the complexity and sophistication of these issues with incisive chapter headnotes providing students with the requisite context and preparing them to read each argument critically, allowing them to understand the past, present, and future of terrorism and counterterrorism. Each of the selections has been thoroughly updated to account for recent world events, policy changes, and new scholarship. New to the reader, and by reviewer request, is a chapter, “Can Global Institutions Make a Difference in Fighting Terrorism?”
Is an Outright Ban the Best Way to Eliminate or Constrain Torture?
Is an Outright Ban the Best Way to Eliminate or Constrain Torture?
- Yes: Torture violates U.S. and International Law and Should Never Be Allowed Michael H. Posner, U.S. Department of State
- No: There is a need to bring an unfortunate practice within the bounds of law Alan M. Dershowitz, Harvard Law School
In April 2009, President Barack Obama sparked an impassioned national debate on torture when he released four previously top secret memos drafted by Bush administration lawyers that offered guidelines for “enhanced interrogations” by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of al-Qaeda operatives in the wake of the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.1 The release of the memos followed Obama's earlier executive ...