Since September 11, 2001, the world has been engulfed in a savage Global War on Terror. Atrocious acts of violence by small groups and individuals have been met by all of the brutal retaliatory power that governments can bring to bear on their enemies, ranging from the most advanced weaponry to one of the most ancient—torture. The use of torture, or “enhanced interrogation techniques,” has provoked impassioned debate as to its ethics and legality; in an age of terror and fear, however, the most relevant question may be: Does torture actually work—that is, does it provide crucial, lifesaving intelligence? Thisquestion must be asked because, as the introduction points out, “If torture fails to deliver its objective, its use as a military weapon becomes as pointless as a faulty machine gun and is,perhaps, even a liability.” In this compelling new book, Yvonne Ridley probes for an answer through a meticulous review of documents and accounts from earlier conflicts, including World War II, Vietnam and the Algeria-France wars, as well as political memoirs and materials recovered under the Freedom of Information Act in the US and UK, and formerly classified documents from the UK National Archives. She pays particular attention to the “ticking bomb” theory popularized by Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, which contends that countless lives of innocents could be saved on the basis of intelligence extracted under torture. Blending documentary analysis, case studies, the statements of those who authorized and in some cases carried out acts of torture, and interviews with its victims, Ridley lays out the pros and cons dispassionately, but without ever losing her moral compass. The result is a revelatorystudy of the use and misuse of violence in the name of “civilization” and “freedom” that reveals the truth about the utility of torture and the impact of its use.

Torture - Does it Work ? Interrogation issues and effectiveness in the Global War on Terror

Ridley, Yvonne

Constitutional Law

Military Studies Press

In the Hand of the Taliban: Her Extraordinary Story

Biographies & Memoirs

Memoirs

Robson Book Ltd

Judith Tempest, a British reporter, is searching for the Truth. But when it starts to spill out in her brilliant front page reportage of Middle East suicide bombing in retaliation for Israeli tanks mowing down innocent Palestinian women and children, both 'Tempest' and 'Truth' start to spell 'Trouble'-- with a capital 'T', joke her friends and colleagues. At age 37, Judith's biological clock is ticking fast. Torn between career and family, the young reporter is determined to have both . . . a dilemma that has caused many successful young career women to end up in the hot seat instead of the hot tub-with Mr. Wrong. Tempest rides the storms of passion from lovers and fiancés who promise her the world yet give her enough reason to believe that "World" is laced with all the trappings of deception-and betrayal. Mohammed Khalaf is her lifeboat, her hero. A Muslim import-export Palestinian residing in London, Mohammed slowly reveals his tragic past as the two fall deeply in love. At last, Judith feels she has found a man who treats her as an equal, a man whose love and fidelity she can trust. The story unfolds in a non-stop mystery thriller that begins two days before America's tragic 9/11 in a marble bathtub decked with candles, coke and champagne at New York's Regent Hotel and tears along at a reckless pace of passion, betrayal, adventure and espionage. Tempest/Ridley's message at the end is clear: This is a fiction work laced with the truth about today's current global crisis written by one of the world's most courageous journalists who has learned that sometimes fiction is the best way to deliver that truth.

Ticket to Paradise

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Thrillers & Suspense

Dandelion Books

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Books by Ridley, Yvonne