In an FT interview the outgoing Counter-Terror Coordinator for the EU, Gijs de Vries, stated clearly that he believes that torture and other human rights violations committed by the U.S. and supported by its allies have made Europe less safe:
“Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, military commissions and CIA renditions have undermined the credibility of the U.S. and its partners” he said.
Gijs de Vries also noted that: “We have to stop today’s terrorists and we must also prevent tomorrow’s terrorists being radicalised.”
He urged the U.S. to return to the human rights mainstream – at least in part – because of the security ramifications.

So now we have a hard nosed counter-terror operator saying torture and other breaches of international law harm our security….will this help change the discourse stateside?

Related posts:

1. Assessing the State of the Union
2. Toward a Better Defense: Preventive Force and International Security
3. 9/11/09
4. Obama: Great Speaker, Not God
5. Haass and Wars of Choice