Outrages Against Personal Dignity: Rationalizing Abuse and Torture in the War on Terror

The outrage over revelations of torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib prison has faded from public discourse, but a number of questions remain unanswered. This paper criticizes official rationalizations offered for the abuse. We make the case that these abuses are systemic, resulting from dehumanization of the enemy and the long reliance on and refinement of torture by the United States national security agencies. We also consider the spread of torture in the current war “on terror,” and we call on sociologists to become involved in the study of torture and prisoner abuse.