Marnia Lazreg - Torture and the Twilight of Empire

TORTURE AND THE TWILIGHT OF EMPIRE

HUMAN RIGHTS AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

Eric D. Weitz, Series Editor

Echoes of Violence: Letters from a War Reporter by Carolin Emcke

Cannibal Island: Death in a Siberian Gulag by Nicolas Werth.
Translated by Steven Rendall with a foreword by Jan T. Gross

TORTURE AND THE
TWILIGHT OF EMPIRE

FROM ALGIERS TO BAGHDAD

Marnia Lazreg

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

PRINCETON AND OXFORD

COPYRIGHT 2008 BY PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

PUBLISHED BY PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS, 41 WILLIAM STREET,

PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 08540

IN THE UNITED KINGDOM: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS,

3 MARKET PLACE, WOODSTOCK, OXFORDSHIRE OX20 1SY

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

LAZREG, MARNIA.

TORTURE AND THE TWIGLIGHT OF EMPIRE : FROM ALGIERS

TO BAGHDAD / MARNIA LAZREG

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS.

P. CM.

INCLUDES BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES AND INDEX.

ISBN 978-0-691-13135-1 (HARDCOVER : ALK. PAPER) 1. TORTURE

ALGERIA HISTORY20TH CENTURY.2. ALGERIAHISTORY

REVOLUTION, 19541962ATROCITIES. 3. ABU GHRAIB PRISON.

4. IRAQ WAR, 2003ATROCITIES. 5. TORTURE. I. TITLE.

HV8599.A4L39 2007 956.7044'3DC22 2007014846

eISBN: 978-1-400-88381-3

R0

For Ramsi and Reda

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

B ECAUSE OF ITS subject matter, writing this book required fortitude. In moments of discouragement, Ramsi and Reda were always there with the right words and a reminder that writing about the struggle for freedom from torture is part of the larger struggle for the humanization of life in which I am engaged.

I am grateful to a number of scholars for helping me in one way or another to think through a particularly complex subject matter at different stages of its elaboration. When the book was still a tentative idea, Wolf V. Heydebrand and Melvin Richter provided incisive comments and invaluable suggestions. Virginia Held helped me to understand debates in moral philosophy. As the manuscript began to take shape, I was fortunate to meet Peter Paret at the Institute for Advanced Study. He generously gave of his time to share with me his vast knowledge of military history and to alert me to invaluable bibliographical sources in addition to reading a part of the manuscript. I feel especially indebted to him. At the Institute, over enjoyable luncheons, I also learned from Morton Whites philosophical insights into conscience and politics.

Eric D. Weitz, the editor of the series, made a difference in the completion of this book. His sharp critical insights, rigor, and commitment helped me to better understand my thoughts, and remain focused. Working with him was a particularly gratifying experience. My deep appreciation goes to Brigitta van Rheinberg for her unwavering interest in the manuscript and for encouraging me to bring it to fruition in a shorter format. It is understood that I alone am responsible for all the arguments and interpretations developed herein.

In 2003 and 2005 I was the recipient of two travel grants from the CUNY Research Foundation that helped to defray the cost of collecting data. The Gender Equity Project at Hunter College gave me course release time in 20032005. As an Associate of the GEP, there is much that I am grateful for. In 20042005 the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, with the support of Acting Dean Judy Friedlander, Hunter College, provided me with the freedom to focus solely on reading and writing in a most enchanting environment.

ABBREVIATIONS

Map 1.

Adapted from University of Texas Perry-Castaeda Library Map Collection.