The Geneva Conventions and the War on Terror

The Geneva Conventions were signed by the United States in 1949 and establish standards in the treatment for prisoners of war, civilian, and military when armed conflict occurs between two signatory nations.  They entitle the captives to being treated with dignity and prohibit torture and degrading treatment.  The Geneva Conventions are important to Americans because the US has always maintained the highest standard of treatment for its captives and expected the same treatment for its soldiers, although US soldiers have rarely received civilized treatment when captured.

Captured Taliban Fighters

Afghanistan

 

The Geneva Conventions became an issue in the War on Terror when the US military needed to know how to treat its prisoners of war.  Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters were not signatories of the Geneva Conventions, or any other civilized agreements, and the US felt it vital to be able to interrogate these captives in an effort to gain intelligence.  The Department of Justice Legal Council John Yoo argued for the Bush Administration that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to al-Qaeda and the Taliban fighters because they did not sign the Conventions or did not accept and follow the rules of warfare.  President Bush decided in early 2002 that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to the unlawful combatants captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan.