As far as we know — which often isn’t much when issues of national security are involved — the U.S. government stopped waterboarding suspected terrorists around 10 years ago.
And as the current administration is quick to remind people, one of the first things Barack Obama did after being sworn in as president was issue an executive orderbanning so-called enhanced interrogation techniques.
At least on paper, then, the U.S. no longer tortures people (the reality can be a bit more complicated). That’s a good thing, right?
Well, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos online poll, the American people aren’t so sure:
Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe torture can be justified to extract information from suspected terrorists, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, a level of support similar to that seen in countries like Nigeria where militant attacks are common.
That top-line number is disconcerting for those who think torture is always wrong (and ineffective, to boot). But as the Reuters write-up notes, the conditions of the current moment aren’t especially favorable for this point of view. Folks are scared.