How Intimidation and Torture work

Neo Neocon has a podcast up I recommend you listen to.

Such things as Stock Holme syndrome, aka identifying with the aggressor, is how someone taken captive defends his captives, if only because he feels relieved that nothing worse was done to him. This fear, this motivation to survive, is imprinted on the genes. Compare this with GitMo and what the terrorists say and do after being released.

Why do terrorists attack their captors with words and actions, during and after their captivity, but not Centanni and other hostages under Islamic Jihad? It is because intimidation and torture work. You've heard that torture just makes people lie. Did Centanni lie about his good treatment, did other hostages lie about their good treatment? No, to them, it was good treatment. And it was exactly what their captors wanted them to say. Torture works not by applying pain and forcing you to do what we want, torture breaks your spirit so that you want to satisfy the torturers in the fear that they will do worse if not satisfied. Because GitMo military guards are not allowed and do not torture and intimidate, the terrorists feel no fear and are free to retaliate. Yet many more organizations are applying pressure to close GitMo, while few pressure Islamic Jihadists to do the same. Primarily because Islamic Jihad does the effective thing and either kill the hostages, using them up, or releasing them after using them up. President Bush doesn't make use of his prisoners as bargaining chips, he doesn't say "do this, or I'll kill your friends 1 a day".

Most people will see my solutions and applications as extreme and counter-productive. What they don't understand is the psychology of current humans at play. An incorrect perception of current positions, will lead to incorrect moves, if you know your chess. Brutally dismembering terrorists doesn't create a lashback because of how things are. Brutally dismembering innocent people like the Nazis and Arabs did and do, is counter-productive precisely because the situation is different for them. It doesn't matter what back lash is available. There are ways around it, even if it does exist. You remember the fog of war? Not only does it mean you can't predict the future, but also that things that seem strong and secure now, will become weak and vulnerable almost magically later. Same goes for strong points. If you think it will be a lashback, if you do this, then I can change things so that in the future, there is no lashback. If you don't think there will be a lashback, I can change reality so that it makes your perceptions wrong. Perceptions are just perceptions of the now, not the future. THe fog of war allows deception, it allows planning and setting up of current positions so that the future positions are more favorable. Simple strategy, like chess. Develop your pieces, get your people into position, do things now and then act when the consequences of your actions come into fruition.