America in the Philippines, 1899-1902

America in the Philippines, 1899-1902: The First Torture Scandal analyzes the US army's use of the 'water cure' torture in the Philippine War and the ensuing political scandal that resulted. Drawing on primary source documents to construct a detailed narrative history of the events, the book also proposes an original theory for the causes of torture, which emphasizes the moral agency of low-level actors. Einolf uses the historical debate to illuminate theories of present-day human rights advocacy. The conclusion relates the Philippine War case to the more recent use of torture under the George W. Bush administration and makes recommendations for researchers and advocates.

"Einolf offers the first disciplined study of American torture in the context of counter-insurgency war, carefully documenting how torture emerges, how it spreads, and what factors lead it to change or cease in the context of war. Carefully researched, historically grounded and social-scientifically informed, this book will be of great importance to all future case studies of this topic.' - Darius Rejali, Reed College, USA

Autorentext
Christopher J. Einolf teaches at the School of Public Service at DePaul University, USA. A former legal advocate for torture survivors, he isthe author of George H. Thomas: Virginian for the Union, The Mercy Factory: Refugees and the American Asylum System.

Inhalt

1. Introduction 2. Theories of Human Rights Abuses and Advocacy 3. The Laws of War and Illegitimate Combatants 4. Early Experimentation, 1898-1900 5. Standard Operating Procedure, Fall 1900 to Spring 1901 6. 'Kill and Burn,' Fall 1901 to Summer 1902 7. The Scandal Builds, January 1901 to March 1902 8. The Scandal Breaks, April 1902 9. The Scandal Recedes, May to June 1902 10. The Effects of the Scandal 11. Conclusion