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9781594515095

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Pfiffner is a decorated Vietnam veteran whose clear and detailed writing offers an excellent case against the use of torture in prisoner interrogation in the 'war on terror.' Highly recommended for all readers interested in current global affairs, history, or the military. -Library Journal This important new book is extremely well-documented. It presents the case that torture was official U.S. policy, not the result of a few bad apples. It invokes the doctrine of command responsibility and makes a compelling case that Bush and many of those who worked for him actively initiated the policies that led to the torture of prisoners. This is strong stuff. -S.G. Mestrovic, author of The Trials of Abu Ghraib and expert witness at the Abu Ghraib courts martial Jim Pfiffner is a decorated soldier and dedicated scholar, who combines knowledge about the chain of command with understanding of Pentagon and Department of Justice policymaking. His discussions of command responsibility and the ethical issues involved in torture make this book the last best word on this shameful chapter in our nation's history. -Richard M. Pious, Barnard College, author of Why Presidents Fail (2008) In this engrossing and superbly detailed account, Professor Pfiffner guides us through a sinister and disturbing sequence of events, orchestrated at the highest level of ou government, by which brutality became a sanctioned tool of American policy. Torture as Public Policy is an important step in helping us understand what went wrong-a prerequisite to putting the United States back on course toward the moral high ground. -Michael Archer, author of A Patch of Ground: Khe Sanh Remembered and Shadow Governor: The Life and Times of Nevada's William J. Raggio (2010) Thorough, insightful, combines passion and analysis in the best traditions of scholarly political science and public intellectual discourse; an important contribution even in a croded field. -Bruce W. Jentleson, Duke University

Pfiffner is a decorated Vietnam veteran whose clear and detailed writing offers an excellent case against the use of torture in prisoner interrogation in the 'war on terror.' Highly recommended for all readers interested in current global affairs, history, or the military. -Library Journal This important new book is extremely well-documented. It presents the case that torture was official U.S. policy, not the result of a few bad apples. It invokes the doctrine of command responsibility and makes a compelling case that Bush and many of those who worked for him actively initiated the policies that led to the torture of prisoners. This is strong stuff. -S.G. Mestrovic, author of The Trials of Abu Ghraib and expert witness at the Abu Ghraib courts martial Jim Pfiffner is a decorated soldier and dedicated scholar, who combines knowledge about the chain of command with understanding of Pentagon and Department of Justice policymaking. His discussions of command responsibility and the ethical issues involved in torture make this book the last best word on this shameful chapter in our nation's history. -Richard M. Pious, Barnard College, author of Why Presidents Fail (2008) In this engrossing and superbly detailed account, Professor Pfiffner guides us through a sinister and disturbing sequence of events, orchestrated at the highest level of ou government, by which brutality became a sanctioned tool of American policy. Torture as Public Policy is an important step in helping us understand what went wrong-a prerequisite to putting the United States back on course toward the moral high ground. -Michael Archer, author of A Patch of Ground: Khe Sanh Remembered and Shadow Governor: The Life and Times of Nevada's William J. Raggio (2010) Thorough, insightful, combines passion and analysis in the best traditions of scholarly political science and public intellectual discourse; an important contribution even in a croded field. -Bruce W. Jentleson, Duke University

This important new book is extremely well-documented. It presents the case that torture was official U.S. policy, not the result of a few bad apples. It invokes the doctrine of command responsibility and makes a compelling case that Bush and many of those who worked for him actively initiated the policies that led to the torture of prisoners. This is strong stuff. -- S.G. Mestrovic, author of The Trials of Abu Ghraib and expert witness at the Abu Ghraib courts martial Jim Pfiffner is a decorated soldier and dedicated scholar, who combines knowledge about the chain of command with understanding of Pentagon and Department of Justice policymaking. His discussions of command responsibility and the ethical issues involved in torture make this book the last best word on this shameful chapter in our nation's history. -- Richard M. Pious, Barnard College, Author of Why Presidents Fail (2008) In this engrossing and superbly detailed account, Professor Pfiffner guides us through a sinister and disturbing sequence of events, orchestrated at the highest level of our government, by which brutality became a sanctioned tool of American policy. Torture as Public Policy is an important step in helping us understand what went wrong. -- Michael Archer, author of A Patch of Ground: Khe Sanh Remembered and Shadow Governor: The Life and Times of Nevada's William J. Raggio (2010) Thorough, insightful, combines passion and analysis in the best traditions of scholarly political science and public intellectual discourse; an important contribution even in a crowded field. -- Bruce W. Jentleson, Duke University

Author Information

James P. Pfiffner is University Professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. His major areas of expertise are the Presidency, American National Government, and public management. He has written or edited twelve books on the presidency, including Power Play: The Bush Administration and the Constitution (2008), and he has published more than 100 articles and chapters in books, professional journals, reference works, and the popular press. While serving with the 25th Infantry Division (1/8 Artillery) in 1970 he received the Army Commendation Medal for Valor in Vietnam and Cambodia. His professional experience includes service in the Director's Office of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (1980-81), and he has been a member of the faculty at the University of California-Riverside and California State University-Fullerton. In 2007 he was S.T. Lee Professorial fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of London.

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