Al Qaeda and the Deprogramming Dilemma

Most are aware of the CIA interrogation debate involving treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay that is sweeping the United States media. It seems apparent that the conflict is not going to rise above partisan politics, and maybe people should not have expected it would! There is little likelihood of any substantive discussions about what interrogation is for, why people do it, and what interrogation is supposed to produce.

Interrogation is supposed to produce information through cooperative exchange with the party being questioned!

Consider the photograph on the right - Seem like a reasonably nice bunch of hippie kids. Even today you see people like that at 'Phish' concerts wearing their parents hand-me-downs. Let's say for argument, you had reason to believe they had been involved in a violent criminal act, and you needed to interrogate them. How would you go about it? - Sleep deprivation? Waterboarding?

In the event you weren't tipped off by the well-known face in front, Lynnette "Squeaky" Fromme, this is a photograph of the Charles Manson Family, whose members were involved in the Labianca-Tate murders. Maybe they aren't such a nice bunch of kids after all!

The Charles Manson Family, as it was called, was a "Revelation" cult with beliefs built on a violently distorted interpretation of the Book of Revelation of the Bible - Check this linked text for details. Charles Manson, the leader of this cult, is considered one of modern histories more notable psychopathic madmen. He probably has more in common with Usama Bin Laden, the figurehead of Al Qaeda, than most in Western society would tend to believe, in spite of the fact that they came from dramatically different backgrounds.

This leads back to the question - If we were to interrogate members of the Manson Family, in the course of a criminal investigation, how would we go about it? Would we keep them naked in cells, would we take their Bibles and toss these in the toilet? Not only would this be in violation of Federal laws, and international covenants, it is unlikely this would produce reliable information! Most importantly, abuse would probably have the effect of reinforcing their distorted beliefs, as the mistreatment became interwoven with cult-based conspiracy theories, and used as divine justification for criminal actions. In the case of the Manson Family, we probably would have tried to separate those involved as decision makers from the participants on the fringes, and attempt to find some way of connecting with the latter, or deprogram them. Once removed from the cult mindset and milieu, no longer under Manson's influence, they probably would have been delighted to cooperate with authorities.

Not only is abuse of detainees illegal and immoral, it does not produce cooperation or reliable intelligence!

Torture is most effective when you wish the subject to accept your view of reality, and interpretation of events independently of the truth. This was the primary result of torture used during the Spanish Inquisition. The techniques used at Guantanamo Bay would have been just as effective in producing statements that the 9/11 attacks were a conspiracy of the Government of Iceland, as they were in trying to support the flawed contention that these attacks somehow involved Iraq and Saddam Hussein.


The Saudi government, usually known for it's harsh edicts and punishment of criminals, has recognized this in their Al Qaeda related intelligence efforts, and treatment of arrestees. The Saudi approach is built on the insight that the most effective strategy for countering faith-based terrorism involves removing participants from the cult mindset.


The United States has been very supportive of Saudi counter-terrorism efforts under former President Bush, and it is safe to assume that this support will continue under President Barack Obama. It may turn out in the end that our interrogation of detainees was not simply immoral or unproductive. At a deeper level, without a strong foundation in Muslim theology within our intelligence and law enforcement communities, we may not have had the capacity to conduct effective interrogations in the first place.

For some background you might wish to read these blog posts - "Where is Usama Bin Laden Anyway"?, and "The Extremist Mentality in Islam".