Drawing from two or more academic disciplines
to analyze a question or problem.
History
Literature
Civil War
Legal Studies
Torture warrants
Ethics (philosophy)
“English” (writing)
Speech and Communication
National Studies (American Studies - US)
Area Studies (Latin American)
Ethnic Studies (African American, etc.)
Women’s Studies
Ecology (biology, earth science, society)
What is the highest human good?
What is right and wrong?
What is the source of values by which we
guide our lives?
How can we choose among values when
they conflict?
(UCI Philosophy Undergraduate Program)
Absolutist - Prohibition in all cases
Situational – Depends on the situation.
Best interest. Question of
exchange.
Absolute
Torture is never acceptable
(Scarry)
Limited Legal
Permissibility
Permissible in certain cases
(Dershowitz)
Limited Moral Permissible but illegal, no
Permissibility
warrants
As noted by Dershowitz
Safety and security of a nation’s citizens
Preservation of civil liberties and human rights
Visibility and accountability in a democracy
How do these come into conflict?
How do you get from one to the next?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Time is running out
The person has the information
Interrogation by torture is necessary
Failure to torture will mean greater loss
QUESTION: Can you raise objections at
each step?
E. Scarry’s
Account
What is the
effect of the
focus on Alan
Dershowitz?
Who was being
tortured?
The torture
warrants
debate leaves
out the
details about
the people
actually
detained
after 9/11
KHALID EL-MASRI
KHALID AL-MASRI
German Citizen
Born in Kuwait but
married a German
woman
 Handed over to the CIA
and, according to a
lawsuit, tortured in
Afghanistan.



The name of a person
alleged to have made
contact in Germany
with the 9/11 hijackers
 No relation to El-Masri
The years after 9/11
Operatives working for Al Qaeda, Taliban
Islamic (and more generally Middle Eastern)
Enemy Combatants (not prisoners of war,
do not have legal protections)
Relies on various oppositions:
West vs. East
Christian vs. Islam
US vs. terrorists (enemies)
"Either you are with us, or you are with
the terrorists.” George W. Bush, 9/20/01
Names someone or something (a force) against
the United States
Figure of evil
Fighter with access to arms, including nuclear,
and “weapons of mass destruction”
Anti-democratic
George W.
Bush
State of the
Union Speech
January 28,
2003
TRANSCRIPT

http://georgewbushwhitehouse.archives.gov/n
ews/releases/2003/01/2003
0128-19.html
YOUTUBE VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=rgwqCdv3YQo

(Part 6, :30 – 2:40)
Evidence from intelligence sources, secret
communications, and statements by people
now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein
aids and protects terrorists, including members
of al Qaeda. Secretly, and without fingerprints,
he could provide one of his hidden weapons
to terrorists, or help them develop their own.
----------------------------------------------------------But chemical agents, lethal viruses and
shadowy terrorist networks are not easily
contained. Imagine those 19 hijackers with
other weapons and other plans -- this time
armed by Saddam Hussein.
How does the terrorist fit into US racial thinking?
Historical opposition between white/black
Historical opposition between white/other
(including Asian, Mexican Am, etc.)
21st Century growing acceptance of a
national multi-racial society.
Where does the terrorist figure fit in?
Race not biological, not essential
Racial constructions as appearing in history
(historically contingent)
Shifting meaning and codes (race changes)
Role of the contemporary global context?
The Case of Jose Padilla
US citizen born in
Brooklyn
Abdullah al-Muhajir
Arrested in 2002
Held for 3+ years without
charges
Enemy combatant
Says he was tortured
Guantanamo
Where does
the United
States hold
terrorists?