How Should We Treat Detainees?

During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American government authorized enhanced interrogation techniques to obtain answers for potentially life-threatening situations from those in custody of U.S. forces. Harlow argues that this policy was contrary to Scripture and the just war tradition established by Augustine, Calvin, Murray, and Ramsey. Here Harlow:

• explains the background of enhanced interrogation techniques used on detainees.
  
• details how historical prohibitions against torture, violence, and sexual and religious humiliation during interrogations were violated.
  
• demonstrates how those prohibitions are consistent with Scripture and the just war tradition.
  
• shows how the support of these interrogation techniques by prominent theologians conflicts with the just war tradition.
  
• encourages Christians to use the same criteria for decisions about national security policy that they use for other moral issues.