How the Gloves Came Off

Arsenault's book provides a much-needed historical context for the torture policy that emerged during the post-9/11 years. It is comprehensive, well researched, and, at the same time, digestible. -- Karen J. Greenberg, Director, Center on National Security at Fordham Law School One of the most perplexing and disturbing outcomes of the 9/11 attacks and the rise of global terrorism was America's adoption of torture against captured suspected terrorists-so-called detainees. This outstanding book by Elizabeth Grimm Arsenault lays out-in a reliable, scholarly, and readable manner-how this overreach occurred, how it profoundly violated U.S. norms and devotion to human rights, and what might be done to ensure a more appropriate balance between security and liberty for the United States in the future. For my own teaching and research endeavors, I keep this important volume close at hand. -- Loch K. Johnson, Regents Professor, University of Georgia This is a thoughtful and provoking account of how the United States abandoned its own-and the world's-legal and normative prohibitions against the use of torture. At its core are a compelling story about how once-cherished legal norms can unravel and the poignant observation that there is no single culprit but rather a system of actors-including top policy makers, their lawyers, and interrogators-aided by shifting public attitudes and cultural norms. -- Emilie Hafner-Burton, University of California, San Diego I recommend that you read this book. It will provoke thoughts within you, but it will also provide you a broader and deeper insight into human nature, regardless of where you lie on the line between assuring national security and upholding agreed-upon legal norms against torture. -- Sonu Chandiram Biz India