Interrogation Tactics to be used on Saddam - Are they being used on the Masses?

Interrogation Tactics to be used on Saddam

Are they being used on the Masses?

Although this interview was about Saddam it is also about everyone of us. In this interview Gary Solis explains the mechanism which is being used on the population throughout the world on a daily basis. The techniques used on the masses is different but the end effect, Stockholm Syndrome is produced in the masses. Read through the interview and I will continue the article on the other side.

Paula Zauhn CNN, interviews Gary Solis who teaches Law at Georgetown University, December 15^th, 2003.

PZ: ... what kind of tactics do you think investigators will use down the road that might prove to be more fruitful?
GS: Well I think down the road is the key. Every interrogation is different depending on the individual, but it is probably going to be a matter of time, before something productive comes from this interrogation. There are any number of techniques that are used and it is a systematic disintort ... to disorientate the individual. So he will be subjected to for example to loud noises, to bright lights, he will be question for a lengthly period and then be left alone for a period. Then he'll come back [and] be questioned again, but only this time for a short period. Once by two or three individuals then by one individual; trying to disorientate him so he has no predictability and after all place and time are the anchors of sanity. The Interrogators will try to take that sense of place, that sense of time and over a long period of time he will be so disorientated that something akin to a Stockholm System... a Stockholm Syndrome may set in and he will begin to give details to his interragators.
PZ: How long would that take?
GS: Well it depends, every individual is different, but those who are Religious fanatics are particularly hard to break. Every man's character is different. So it could take weeks, [or] it could take months. He said to be cooperating or at least talking, so one would hope it would go a little faster with him. But it is just impossible to tell how long it would take.
PZ: Saddam Hussein himself believed to be a master of torture, given his familiarity with interrogation, isn't it conceivable he could for a certain period of time outwit his interragators?
GS: It is conceivable for a certain period of time. But his kind of torture has usually been brute force and thats not what is going to be exercised on him. It is going to be psychological pressure that is exercised on Saddam Hussein. There aren't going to be any electric shocks anything like that and that is what he is used too. So one wonders if he is going to be aware of all the techniques that are going to be applied to him; and even if he is, over a matter of time, weeks days months, eventually he is going to be broken down. He is going to be interrogated by teams, in relays and it's just virtually impossible to hold out, when you are kept cold perhaps wet, when you are not allowed to sleep, when you are feed infrequently and at odd times. The unpredictability of the circumstances. Sooner or later virtually everyone is bond to break and that would include Saddam Hussein.
PZ: And physically what kind of pressure can these interragators put on him without violating the Geneva Accord [Convention]?
GS: Well that's a very hard question. Because there has only been one case a British case, the United Kingdom versus the Republic of Ireland, that's discussed what's allowed and what isn't. The Torture Convention for example doesn't define what constitutes torture. But the techniques that [they] will use, will probably involve small spaces where he can't sit comfortably, can't lay down completely and can't stand. They will involve loud noises, it will keep him awake and if he should doze he would be roughly awaken. There could be water on the floor, he could be forced to stand for a while, sit for a while. So there are a number of techniques, a number of techniques that would hasten his breaking.
PZ: Thanks for the wealth of information and pointing out it was the Geneva Convention instead of the Accord...
Download Interview Here

Before looking at how this relates to the masses some things need to be looked at. In this interview Gary states that the Torture Convention does not define what constitutes torture. Well he is correct it doesn't define what torture is, however it does make clear some key points about how prisoners of war are and are not to be treated. Further it is the Geneva Convention that Bush and everyone is relating too and not the U.N. Convention Against Torture.

Here are some key sections in the Geneva Convention concerning how Prisoners are to be treated:

ARTICLE 3

     To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at
     any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the
     above-mentioned persons:

    (a)   violence to life and person, in particular murder of all
          kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
    (b)   taking of hostages;
    (c)   outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating
          and degrading treatment;

ARTICLE 17

No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be
inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind
whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened,
insulted, or exposed to unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any
kind.

ARTICLE 87

Collective punishment for individual acts, corporal punishment,
imprisonment in premises without daylight and, in general, any form of
torture or cruelty, are forbidden.
ARTICLE 130

Grave breaches to which the preceding Article relates shall be those
involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or
property protected by the Convention: wilful killing, torture or inhuman
treatment, including biological experiments, wilfully causing great
suffering or serious injury to body or health, compelling a prisoner of
war to serve in the forces of the hostile Power, or wilfully depriving a
prisoner of war of the rights of fair and regular trial prescribed in
this Convention.

Don't get me wrong here I am not defending Saddam for what he did to the Iraqi people, but I just wanted you to understand that although Bush says that the Saddam will be protected under the Geneva Convention, in reality he isn't, providing this is really Saddam to begin with, but that's another issue out of context of what I am trying to explain. The bottom line is that torture is never defined in the Geneva Convention the whole thing is left open to interpretation. It is yet another gray area which can be trampled over as it is debated over what actually constitutes these things, although the spirit of the Convention makes it clear. I wanted to bring this forward also because there are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay at this moment being tortured who from what I have come to understand are not classified as prisoners of War, yet what do you call attacking another sovereign Country, if it is not a war then what is it?

For an actual definition of torture we need to look at the Convention Against Torture:

Section 1: Article 1

For the purposes of this Convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.

If you are interested to know which Countries have signed onto this treaty you can look at the list here. The United States has signed the treaty but has not yet ratified it.

So lets now take a look at what Stockholm Syndrome is and how the masses are actually suffering horribly with this syndrome and most don't even know it. Stockholm Syndrome was first discovered in 1973 when hostages at a bank in Stockholm defended their brutal captors, after being freed. They refused to testify against them in court and helped raise money for their legal fees. The hostages rationalized and believed that the “political agenda” of the terrorists was the right solution to the problem, introduced by the terrorists ( Problem – Reaction – Solution ). The Stockholm Syndrome appears to be the way human beings and possibly other mammals, instinctively fall into for survival, that is to say it is a survival instinct.

There are many examples of this playing out all around us everyday. If you talk to battered women for example you will find the same situation. Many police officers have been attacked by a battered wife when they have gone in to arrest their abusive husband. I haven't had any experience working with children who have been abused, but I wonder if they suffer from the Stockholm Syndrome as well? It would seem to be as some children do go out of there way to lie and protect those who have abused them from articles I have read in the past.

“It stems primarily from a person’s feeling of relative helplessness, and a feeling that one’s survival depends on not upsetting an irresistible force that could punish him. A person starts to try to rationalize the situation in which he finds himself. It is hard to fathom meaningless violence, or to live in fear of being killed or punished for no reason. The victim tries to convince himself that the captors are not sadistic beasts, but that they are quite rational and would not do violence to a person unless they had a good reason. Small acts of kindness (such as allowing the hostage to eat) tend to reinforce the hostage’s desire to see the captors as decent people who would not harm a captive unless that captive did something stupid. That helps a captive feel like he is really to some degree in control of the situation, by being a "good" hostage, rather than feeling helpless.” ¹

What is happening to people is that they are trying to justify the oppression they are under. This is the exact mechanism to how the masses are controlled into believing that tyranny is okay, because they feel helpless in fighting against it, so it is rationalized away. What we see on Television and here on the radio everyday is how our Government, doesn't seem to matter which Government these days, is hurting people and punishing anyone who would stand against them. It is massive psychological warfare aimed at controlling your behavior. Evidence of this syndrome is everywhere. It is bad enough that the Government does this to us, but we in turn do it to ourselves. At work we make fun of those who are different and stand out, we create the prison David Icke talks about where people are afraid of what other people think. It is pure survival mode instinct that we are living on. So much for Maslow's Pyrimad, if the population are kept in survival mode there is no way that the masses can achieve self actualization and become the Genius and Infinite Beings of Love we all are.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

1 Physiological.....................Thirst, sex, hunger
2 Safety..............................Security, stability, protection
3 Love and Belongingness.....To escape loneliness, love and be loved, and gain
a sense of belonging
4 Esteem............................Self-respect, the respect others
5 Self-actualization..............To fulfill one's potentialities

Where do you sit on this hierarchy?

I would also draw your attention to this segment from, Bugs Life, which shows how Stockholm Syndrome is being induced on the unsuspecting masses. I highly suggest that you rent or buy this movie as there is much more in it that shows these mechanisms at work. This War on Terrorism movie we are all watching sends some very clear messages to everyone in the United States and the World that is, do what the Bush Administration says or get punished. Further the People in the United states are hostages by the very Government that pretends to be their protector and savior. The outward message is we are protecting you and the inward message is, step out of line and we will make you life miserable. Thus instead of facing the tyranny from an overwhelming force people identify very strongly with the actions of the Government and have rationalized out of fear that what is going on is okay. They feel helpless to do anything about it. This why people are not waking up as it were because if they did they would have to face the reality that they are being oppressed.

Another thing I found interesting in the interview was how Place and Time are so important to one's sanity. If the purpose is to disorientate someone from reality would not Television, Video Games and just everyday life help one dislodge from one's sense of what is reality? Think about it for a moment. Everything you do is on a tight schedule and you have little time for reflecting. Our work environments are set up so if you don't produce you are out the door and you can't forget all the head games that go on at work and school as well. It may not be classified as mental torture, but it seems to have some effect on us to the point where we think it is great that the company made billions and we made, how much again? Some video games are extremely violent I find as are movies and it projects a fear into us as to what can happen to us if we don't tow the line. Television, video games etc. reinforce our reality that we are powerless against overwhelming forces and should lie and play the game to make it through life. Just a thought...

This also explains why the Iraqi people support Saddam even though he was a burtal dictator. It is so ingrained in them. The Occupation continues to slaughter thousands of men, women and especially children as they make up 50% of Iraq's population. We sit back and say there is nothing we can do. Most of the soilders there are there out of fear and more accuratly they are there because basic training is all setup to induce the Stockholm Syndrome into them. The are being held hostage unto themselves. This goes on while the leaders are no where to be found, all hiding and plotting from there safe protected places. As David Icke would say, I hope you got something out of this.

Rob Hay
www.freedomfiles.org

Send email to Rob at freedomone@shaw.ca

Bibliography:

1. Government and the Stockholm Syndrome by Paul Clark, Ph.D.
Paul Clark (send him mail) is a veteran of Desert Storm and also worked with the mujahedin in Afghanistan. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy, having written his dissertation on military ethics.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig2/clark6.html