Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Use of Waterboarding in the United StatesArguments for WaterboardingArguments Against WaterboardingConclusionIntroductionWaterboarding is a tactic used to extract information from suspects for hundreds of years. Although recently the media and general public have noticed a problem. Some people think it is not humane to drown someone. Some people believe that the phenomenon of simulated drowning could potentially save the lives of hundreds or even thousands of people. This is a harsh tactic that some will say is very effective, but which leaves irreparable psychological damage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay After September 11, 2001, the U.S. government relied on trained military instructors for information on methods of difficult interrogation. One of them was the waterboarding method. Waterboarding is a type of water torment in which water is poured over a material covering the face and respiratory inlets of a tied hostage, making the individual appear to be suffocating. Normally, water is poured intermittently so that the hostage does not drown during torture; if water is poured continuously it will cause asphyxiation with the feeling of suffocation, also called dry suffocation. Besides death, simulating drowning can cause outrageous torment, lung damage, and brain damage due to lack of oxygen. This essay discusses the use of simulated drowning by the U.S. government during the Bush administration and whether it was an acceptable method of interrogation. use of simulated drowning in the United States After September 11, the CIA was prepared to do everything it could to find those responsible for the horrific attacks. Not only those responsible for the attacks, but also anyone involved in future attacks against the United States. The CIA introduced a harsh tactic towards some of its detainees, known as simulated drowning. The CIA reportedly uses extensive interrogations, such as simulated drowning, for extended periods of time. The drowning simulation against these terrorists was very demanding, physically and mentally. There were terrorists who had horrible spasms, or who got sick to the point of vomiting. An example of a detainee who underwent these harsh interrogations was Abu Zabaydah. Abu was losing consciousness and foam was coming out of his mouth. Abu wasn't the only one who had serious reactions to the simulated drowning treatment. Khalid Shaykh Mohammad was the victim of a simulated drowning and nearly drowned on several occasions. At the same time, the United States was desperate to bring people to justice for their horrific crimes. In December 2014, the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) completed a report on the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Detention and Interrogation Program from 2001 to 2006 during the War on Terror. The brutal interrogation techniques used by the CIA in the years that followed, which bordered on torture, did not work. Its authors judge the decisions in the name of criticism of the moment, in the war against terrorism, to be excessive, if not completely false. “Fear of another terrorist attack does not justify erroneous decisions made by organizations in the name of national security,” the report notes. The report highlights Bush's violent practices, citingthe use of the waterboarding method, during which many prisoners came close to drowning, but also other violent practices. Waterboarding is a method that has been characterized by the United Nations as a practice of torture and involves the interrogation of the interrogator on a board. They then cover their faces with a cloth that spits constantly, causing a feeling of suffocation. Sleep deprivation involving forced vigil of detainees for 180 hours, usually in a standing position and often with their hands on their heads. In one of the CIA camps, a prisoner lost his life due to hypothermia, finding himself half-naked and chained to cement. Sometimes naked prisoners with hoods over their faces would hang out in the corridors while they were brutally beaten. Arguments for Simulated Drowning Some people will still argue today that the simulated drowning interrogation tactics used by the CIA worked. People may even think that simulated drowning suspects could gather information more quickly than during regular interrogations. Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA, claimed that extensive interrogations led to a lot of information about Al Qaeda. Hayden went so far as to say that half of the knowledge the government had was due to interrogations, such as simulated drowning. A lot of very valuable information came from these harsh interrogations. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed broke down very easily when subjected to interrogations such as simulated drowning. Mohammed gave major information, such as Bin Laden's nickname. Telling this kind of information helped the CIA track down and capture Bin Laden. As most Americans know, bin Laden was a key leader of the September 11 attacks. The next major detainee named was Abu Zubaydah. Abu also experienced the phenomenon of simulated drowning. Abu opened up and gave information that contributed to the arrest of Ramzi bin al Shibh. The capture of Shibh was huge for the United States because he gave up crucial information about KSM and other major terrorists (Mukasey, 2011). One of the strongest arguments about these interrogations is that simulated drowning was not used on all terrorist suspects. Waterboarding was used on a few select individuals who were skilled at handling other types of interrogations. Thousands of detainees were apprehended by the United States (Mukasey, 2011). The number of people who were examined and interrogated by the CIA program was less than 100. Of the 100 people, less than a third underwent the harsh interrogation tactics used by the CIA. Even former Vice President Dick Cheney defended the program, saying, “It's a stricter program, for more demanding customers” (Crook, 2008, p. 360). Waterboarding was once again a despair for the United States. Most can agree that these high-level terrorists may never have spoken out if the United States had not implemented extensive interrogations, such as simulated drowning. Some potential plans might never have been discovered, or some high-level terrorists would never have been brought to justice.Arguments Against WaterboardingToday, the majority of Americans would be completely against the use of waterboarding. Waterboarding would be considered inhumane or unethical. The Senate has published findings and conclusions showing that the use of drowning simulation has not really brought very good results. Their records show that seven of the 39 suspects who were subjected to extreme interrogation tactics,.