Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People: The Dynamics of Torture

Most of this book examines three case studies, from numerous different angles, unveiling the mentality of torturer and tortured alike. The breaking up of the three cases into non-sequential sections aids readability a bit, and the whole tone of the writing is very collected and non-sensational. It does a great job of pointing out not only the details of the individual cases, but the importance of those tortures as events for the societies involved. It's refreshing that Conroy puts focus on first world torturers, and forces us to consider that so-called civilized societies can produce monsters just as starved, desperate nations can. And it suggest that a person can be a monster one day, and a normal, caring human being the next- it forces us to examine the importance of context, the universal susceptibility of humanity to cruelty, and the significance of governmental authority in converting individuals into torturers and back again. Conroy also spends a few chapters explaining the history of torture, the trends that arise, and the elements where people are just unpredictable, and torture occurs in ways and places you wouldn't expect. Sadly, torture seems to be a major driving force in society, and in law, through most of mankind's history. Conroy also gives away the tricks torturers use to inflict maximum suffering with minimum risk to themselves, often using techniques that horribly scar the mind while making no changes to the body. This may lead you to evaluate current news stories differently. I must say, though, I've read numerous books about war crimes, tyrants and acts of slaughter without difficulty, but this actually was difficult to read at times. Particularly the section about the 5 techniques awakened a disgust in me that I, as a hardened reader, rarely feel. This book is easily important enough to justify the disturbing details. But it's even more of a downer than the title would suggest, and sensitive readers may not be able to stomach it.

"Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People" is a thoughtful investigation of torture in the modern world. Conroy reconstructs three episodes: the torture of IRA suspects by the British Army in 1971; the torture of Palestinians by Israeli troops in 1988; and the torture of a cop-killing suspect by Chicago police in 1982. Along the way, he reflects on torture in countries such as Greece, Rhodesia, and Uruguay; he also explores the implications of scientific studies such as the famous Milgram experiment. The narrative is constructed out of media accounts, official documents, and Conroy's own interviews. The writing is calm and factual, even though the subject is horrifying. Although this book was published in 2000, it will be a wake up call for anyone who naively thinks think that Abu Ghraib was the work of a "few bad apples" in the U.S. Army. The "stress and duress" techniques used in Iraq -- sleep deprivation, hooding, sexual humiliation, muscle stress, etc. -- are standard operating procedures for interrogators who want to torture prisoners without leaving traces of physical abuse. As Conroy documents, these techniques were used in Northern Ireland and on the West Bank; they were also taught to Latin American soldiers by the U.S. Army and the CIA. The only thing unique about Iraq, alas, is the fact that U.S. soldiers were stupid enough to film their own atrocities.

The above quote comes from the brief biographical piece on John Conroy included in the online program for the 2000 Amnesty International USA Midwest Regional Conference, one of the many human rights forums at which he has lent his expertise on torture as a featured speaker. I agree with the view expressed in the quote completely - this book brilliantly illuminates some fundamental truths that we must face if we are to eliminate torture.The most important issue is alluded to in the following quote from the book's introduction (pp. ix-x): "When I embarked on this project, when I was still unsure as to what form the manuscript would take, dozens of people asked me if I was going to visit various nations well-known for their use of torture. It seemed to me that these well-meaning men and women had the idea that torture was something done in some backward civilization by the barely human and certainly ignorant. I was gradually becoming aware, however, that torture is something that most of us are capable of, and so I decided to use case studies that I thought American readers could identify with - `people like us' who deployed the brutal methods I'd heard associated with the Third World."The countries on which the case studies focus are Great Britain, Israel, and the United States. Most people in the United States would probably react to news of the project underlying this book in the same manner as Conroy describes, and would not understand why such a book would focus on the chosen countries. Therein lies the problem we must recognize if we are to end torture: torture is not something confined to far away or backward countries full of strange, ignorant people - despite the universal prohibitions on torture contained in international law and the laws of almost all nations, it is something that is also done by individuals functioning on behalf of our own and closely allied governments, purportedly in our interest, and with our approval or at least our acquiescence. As Conroy states (p. 240), "I found I did not have to journey far to learn that torture is something we abhor only when it is done to someone we like, preferably someone we like who lives in another country."In my opinion, the most valuable works of nonfiction are characterized by accuracy, by focusing on important and unrecognized or insufficiently appreciated facets of life, by treating the subjects and readers with respect, and by a level of organization and quality of writing that makes the process of reading and thinking about the issues covered well worth the reader's time. This book succeeds in all of these aspects. The organization of the book into four sections, each containing a chapter on each of the three case studies, followed by a chapter covering the fundamental issues brought to light by the case studies and by Conroy's additional research and analysis, serves as an excellent framework. Conroy is a highly gifted writer (one of the first things I did upon finishing the book wa

Unlike books in which the cover promises much more than the author delivers, this one reflects "truth in advertising." The title and content fit together beautifully.There may be better ways to illustrate the profound and disturbing fact that, given the right circumstances, ordinary people can and do commit unspeakable acts, but I doubt it. In an area in which authors seemingly find it easy to draw conclusions beyond their legitimate findings, and sensationalism can creep in with or without intention, John Conroy has done an excellent job of sticking with the facts and generally letting them speak for themselves. It's a good example of "less is more." Conroy's extensive research and careful explication, coupled witha carefully crafted framework for presentation of the data make it easy for the reader to follow what he is presenting. Setting forth examples of torture in three different settings and following this pattern of presentation in subsequent sections lets us end up with a clear gestalt of his material. A reporter, Conroy sticks to his training and avoids the temptation to confuse his role with that of a research psychologist. The outcome:--A clear presentation of what torture is and how ubiquitous it is. --A strong blow to the common view that only monsters engage in torture and that torture occurs only in places far removed from us. In appreciation to the author and to my son who recommended the book to me, I heartily commend it to anybody who seeks to understand today's world.

Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People by John ConroyIn 1975 the United Nations defined torture as "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted by or at the instigation of a public official on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or confession, punishing him for an act he has committed, or intimidating him or other persons...Torture constitutes an aggravated and deliberate form of cruel , inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." However, as John Conroy points out in his important new study of torture, Unspeakable Acts, Ordinary People, "the UN definition... has proved to be not so easily interpreted in court. When does pain or suffering become 'severe'?" he asks, and how do we define "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment?This study of torture examines its practice in Ireland, Palestine and the United States, with reference to its history and to its continuing effects upon its victims and asks "what kind of person tortures another human being?" It answers this by examining the professionalisation of torture and its use as a political tool. "It became a function," he was told by a former Rhodesian torturer, "It became a part of the job. It became standard operating procedure." Conroy describes how the Greek secret police tortured recruits in order to make torturers out of them, making it easier for the torturers to dehumanize their own victims and to rationalize what they themselves were doing: "The isolation of the recruits eliminated external points of view that might interfere with the indoctrination." Therefore the normal limits of obedience were dissolved and serving authority became its own reality for one recruit: "Torturing became a job... If the officers ordered you to beat, you beat. If they ordered you to stop, you stopped. You never thought you could do otherwise." Conroy explains how the training of torturers is an exact science designed to project "a positive self-image" and points to a Yale study on the limits of obedience. The experiment illustrated how easily people could ignore responsibility and view themselves as a link in the chain of authority and concluded that "ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process." Conroy sees this conclusion as informative:many people are unable to act on their values... even when it is patently clear that they are inflicting harm, relatively few people have the resources to resist authority... in view of the positive reinforcement engendered by a largely satisfied society, it is not difficult to understand how a torturer can hold on to a positive self-image... The British comforted themselves with the rationalization that their methods were nothing compared to the suffering created by the IRA. The Israelis regularly argue that their methods pale in com