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Journal ArticleDOI

Torture and terror post-9/11: The role of social work in responding to torture:

01 Mar 2015-International Social Work (SAGE Publications)-Vol. 58, Iss: 2, pp 320-331
TL;DR: The authors argue that social work response to challenging pro-torture rhetoric has been limited at best, and to effectively address the problem there must be an international response if social work is to adhere to its obligations under the IFSW Code of Ethics, and fulfil its role as a human rights profession.
Abstract: Whilst terrorism is not a new global phenomenon, the fallout from the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US remain extensive and far reaching, including the sanctioning of harsher security measures and the denigration of human rights and civil liberties. Of particular concern is the move towards torture being an accepted practice for those deemed ‘terror suspects’ or captured ‘enemy’ combatants in countries where the so called ‘war on terror’ is still being played out. This article argues that the social work response, particularly in relation to challenging pro-torture rhetoric, has been limited at best, and to effectively address the problem there must be an international response if social work is to adhere to its obligations under the IFSW Code of Ethics, and fulfil its role as a human rights profession.
Citations
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Journal Article
TL;DR: In this book, Johnson primarily addresses a research audience, and his model seems designed to stimulate thought rather than to improve clinical technique, which suggests that lithium should have no therapeutic value in patients, such as those with endogenous depression, who already "under-process" cognitive information.
Abstract: basic research and clinical data in an attempt to derive a cohesive model which explains the behavioral effects of the drug. Johnson is an experimental psychologist, and his work underlies many of the chapters which suggest that lithium decreases the behavioral response to novel external stimuli. He then utilizes this foundation to propose a cognitive model for lithium's anti-manic action, its inhibition of violent impulsivity, and its prophylactic effects in recurrent depression. Previous formulations which were clinically based, such as that of Mabel Blake Cohen and her associates, stressed the primacy of depression and noted the \"manic defense\" as an attempt to ward off intolerable depression. In direct contrast, Johnson views mania as the primary disturbance in bipolar disorder. He considers depression in bipolar disease as an over-zealous homeostatic inhibitory responsf to a maniaassociated cognitive overload. Consistent with this, he believes, lit lum exerts its anti-manic effect by decreasing cognitive processing in a manner analogous to his animal studies. Johnson also suggests that lithium exerts its prophylactic effect in recurrent depressions by treating subclinical mania. These concepts are supported by the work of Johnson's associate, Kukopulos, to whom the book is dedicated. The bulk of the research which describes the cognitive disturbance in mania is complex, however, and uncomfortably open to multiple interpretations. Recognized as a preliminary effort, Johnson's formulation may help to guide further research. Although Johnson clearly traces lithium actions through a broad range of subjects, his discussion of the neurophysiological aspects of this drug is notably spotty. In particular, Johnson ignores the work of Svensson, DeMontigny, Aghajanian, and others who suggest that serotonergic systems may play an important role in the antidepressant actions of lithium. As a result, he fails to discuss one of the most important current uses of lithium: as an agent used in conjunction with antidepressant medications to increase treatment response in medication-resistant forms of depression. Lithium augmentation of antidepressant medication also challenges the formulation presented by Johnson. This formulation suggests that lithium should have no therapeutic value in patients, such as those with endogenous depression, who already \"under-process\" cognitive information. The omission of lithium augmentation in depression is clearly unfortunate in this text. Overall, this volume demonstrates the benefits of a single-authored text. It it clearly organized and readable. The bibliography is also broad and useful. In this book, Johnson primarily addresses a research audience, and his model seems designed to stimulate thought rather than to improve clinical technique. In this capacity, his book will be of most interest to behavioral psychologists. Other books, focusing purely on clinical data, may be more useful to clinicians. Nevertheless, the clear organization, the large bibliography, and the thoughtful presentation may make this text a useful addition to a clinical library as well.

1,865 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors compared how the 2004 Abu Ghraib prison story was defined by journalists in seven countries (Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United States).
Abstract: This study compares how the 2004 Abu Ghraib prison story was defined by journalists in seven countries (Australia, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United States). A content analysis of leading print news outlets from each country reveals a range of politically significant descriptive labels. At one extreme, American journalists overwhelmingly avoided torture to describe Abu Ghraib, emphasizing instead more ambiguous, and arguably more innocuous, terms such as abuse or mistreatment. At the other extreme, German, Italian, and Spanish journalists tended to define what happened at the prison as torture rather than as abuse or mistreatment. In between these emphases were Australian, British, and Canadian journalists, who fell somewhat closer to the characterizations employed by U.S. journalists. Our view is that these divergences in news coverage are best explained by social identity theory, though other potential explanations are also considered.

24 citations


"Torture and terror post-9/11: The r..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Studies contend that the way in which torture is publicly constructed influences people’s attitudes towards the survivors or victims, and can have a long term impact on the broader social fabric (Athey, 2008; Bennett et al., 2006; Crelinsten, 2003; Doucette, 2010; Jones and Sheets, 2009)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examines how the racialized terrorist is produced through various waron-terror tactics, including the indefinite detainment and torture of prisoners in U.S. military detention centers and the circulation of torture photographs.
Abstract: S ince September 11, 2001, the equation of Muslim with terrorist has lodged in the popular imagination in the United States. This conflation undermines the ability to distinguish between a few individuals who have committed or intend to commit acts of extrastate violence (terrorism) and the rest of the Muslim population, a population that consists of more than 1 billion people worldwide. Although public discussions of the so-called Muslim terrorist are often accompanied by disclaimers acknowledging that not all Muslims are a problem or that the political abuse of Islam, rather than Islam itself, is a problem, these caveats fail to dislodge the increasingly intractable conflation of Muslim with terrorist. This article examines how the racialized terrorist is produced through various waron-terror tactics, including the indefinite detainment and torture of prisoners in U.S. military detention centers and the circulation of torture photographs. A long history of Euro-American racialization of Muslim and Arab peoples traverses contemporary discussions. The one-dimensional concept of

24 citations


"Torture and terror post-9/11: The r..." refers background in this paper

  • ...In its essence, it destroys language and deconstructs the survivor’s voice, thereby allowing the powerful to redefine the act, shift the focus off the act to whether the person is deserving or undeserving of the treatment, and in the process, creating the Other (Philipose, 2007; Scarry, 1985)....

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  • ...In addition, recent studies from the US contend that the unconsciousness and denial present in a society that condones torture leads to further acts of violence or the legitimization of violence (Crelinsten, 2003), and that this violence becomes racialized and sexualized (Philipose, 2007)....

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  • ...Others point to the push for professionalism by national social work bodies, and that some social workers are captivated by the status that this notion of professionalism affords (Wagner, 2009)....

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  • ...It is this construction of the Other (Fairbain, 2009), relabelled the terrorist or the enemy, as separate from us, and in turn devoid of human qualities that can be afforded human rights and dignity, that is inherent in destroying empathy and disconnecting the survivor from the community (McAlister et al., 2006)....

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Book
01 Oct 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, a book for a general readership including the ever growing peace and justice constituencies around the world is presented, addressing the needs of students in various fields of human rights, peace studies, peace-keeping and more.
Abstract: This title is a book for a general readershiop including the ever growing peace and justice constituencies around the world. This book also adresses the needs of students in various fields of human rights, peace studies, peace-keeping and more. It shows how a creative use of power can contribute to peace in any context.

22 citations


"Torture and terror post-9/11: The r..." refers background in this paper

  • ...This article argues that it is because social work is a global human rights profession (Ife, 2008), committed to social justice and well-being, it must be actively engaged in counteracting violence, separatist or dehumanizing language and political rhetoric that is misleading or counterintuitive to social cohesion, community well-being and peace with justice (Rees, 2003)....

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  • ...Central to this is understanding the ways in which power is exercised, and concurrently ensuring that where there has been an abuse of power, that the resultant injustice is addressed (Rees, 2003)....

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  • ...…profession (Ife, 2008), committed to social justice and well-being, it must be actively engaged in counteracting violence, separatist or dehumanizing language and political rhetoric that is misleading or counterintuitive to social cohesion, community well-being and peace with justice (Rees, 2003)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The role of the news media in the dynamics of political terrorism has been studied extensively as discussed by the authors, and the connections between the media and terrorism have been examined in a wide range of fields.
Abstract: The news media are an extremely powerful actor in the dynamics of oppositional political terrorism.1 Just how important newspapers, radio, and television are during ongoing campaigns and in the context of terrorist incidents is a subject of constant debate (Atwater, 1987; Jenkins, 2003). Any understanding of the connections between this type of violence and the media must be embedded in broader discussions of: the power of the media (e.g. Shaw and McCombs, 1972), especially in conflict situations (e.g. Arno, 1984); the relationship among journalists, editors, authorities, and terrorists; empirical analyses of the media; and the connection between terrorism and public opinion. Nevertheless, since the early 1970s, researchers have examined the role of the news media in connection with terrorism. In many respects, this body of work is a sub-specialty in the field of terrorism studies. It is typically anchored in a limited number of academic disciplines including communications studies, law, political science, and sociology. In short, this Research Note looks at the venues in which research on this connection is typically found, the topics that academics generally research and the methods they use, their findings, and where these scholars might devote their future energy.

20 citations

Book
13 Oct 2009
TL;DR: For the past two decades, Mark Danner has reported from Latin America, Haiti, the Balkans, and the Middle East, and his perceptive, award-winning dispatches have not only explored the real consequences of American engagement with the world, but also the relationship between political violence and power.
Abstract: For the past two decades, Mark Danner has reported from Latin America, Haiti, the Balkans, and the Middle East. His perceptive, award-winning dispatches have not only explored the real consequences of American engagement with the world, but also the relationship between political violence and power. In Stripping Bare the Body, Danner brings together his best reporting from the worlds most troubled regionsfrom the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti to the tumultuous rise of Aristide; from the onset of the Balkan Wars to the painful fragmentation of Yugoslavia; and finally to the disastrous invasion of Iraq and the radical, destructive legacy of the Bush administration. At a time when American imperial power is in decline, there has never been a more compelling moment to read these urgent, fiercely intelligent reports.

18 citations


"Torture and terror post-9/11: The r..." refers background in this paper

  • ...These acts, innocuously termed ‘clean’ or ‘torture lite’ may include: isolation, sensory deprivation, forced standing and stress positions, sleep deprivation and waterboarding (Danner, 2009; Rejali, 2007)....

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  • ...As Herman (1997) notes, torture is not just a physical act, but also a political act; it is political violence (see also Danner, 2009)....

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