In 1949, 194 countries from around the world gathered together. They came from different geographical areas, different religious backgrounds, and different moral and ethical beliefs—but they came together, all 194, to the Geneva Conventions. Why? Because all of these countries had seen the horrors of war. They had seen the extermination camps of Hitler and the Rape of Nanking. They had heard the terrors of the murder and torture of captured soldiers. And they wanted it to stop.
War is a reality of the world we live in. For better or for worse, some disputes require the violence that comes with war, and the peace that generally follows it. But war with no rules can bring no such peace. If the United States breaches the Geneva Conventions, we will send our soldiers into a world no different than it was in the 1940’s. They will face the possibility of more pain and violence than neither you nor I could ever imagine.
Torture can seem to be effective. But there are other methods—peaceful cooperation, for example—that yield more credible information. These methods allow us to gain the knowledge we need without breaking international law and putting the men and women who fight for their country in danger.
It is very easy to hide behind the assertion that “all is fair in love and war.” But I urge you, consider. Ethics and morals aside—are you willing to put innocent Americans in danger, just to obtain what may be faulty information? I think not. I think absolutely not.