Table Of ContentTorTure, InTellIgence and SouSveIllance
In The War on Terror
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Torture, Intelligence and
Sousveillance in the
War on Terror
agenda-Building Struggles
vIan BakIr
Bangor University, Wales, UK
First published 2013 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
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Copyright © 2013 Vian Bakir
vian Bakir has asserted her right under the copyright, designs and Patents act, 1988, to be
identified as the author of this work.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Bakir, vian, 1971-
Torture, intelligence and sousveillance in the War on Terror : agenda-building struggles.
-- (classical and contemporary social theory) 1. communication in politics--great Britain.
2. communication in politics--united States. 3. Propaganda analysis--great Britain. 4.
Propaganda analysis--united States. 5. leaks (disclosure of information)--great Britain.
6. leaks (disclosure of information)--united States. 7. Whistle blowing--great Britain.
8. Whistle blowing--united States. 9. War on Terrorism, 2001-2009, in mass media. 10.
Political prisoners--abuse of--great Britain. 11. Political prisoners--abuse of--united States.
I. Title II. Series
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Bakir, vian, 1971-
Torture, intelligence and sousveillance in the War on Terror : agenda-building struggles / by
vian Bakir.
pages cm. -- (classical and contemporary social theory)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBn 978-1-4094-2255-6 (hardback) 1. War on Terrorism, 2001-2009--Moral and ethical
aspects. 2. Torture--government policy--great Britain. 3. Torture--government policy--
united States. 4. domestic intelligence. 5. Military intelligence. 6. Torture in mass media--
Political aspects. 7. communication in politics. 8. Terrorism--Prevention. I. Title.
hv6432.B347 2013
363.325’165--dc23
2013000260
ISBn 9781409422556 (hbk)
ISBn 9781315550824(cid:13)(cid:10) (ebk)
Contents
List of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
Acknowledgements xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
1 Studying Torture, Intelligence and Media Manipulation in the
War on Terror 1
2 Strategic Political Communication, Intelligence and its Discontents:
Manipulating and Challenging Intelligence 35
3 The Rise of the Torture-Intelligence Nexus 61
4 The Sousveillance Failure of John Walker Lindh 91
5 The Surprise of Sousveillance at Abu Ghraib and the
Struggle to Contain it 119
6 The Persistence of Sousveillance: Baha Mousa and Torture in the
British Military 167
7 The Absence of Sousveillance: Binyam Mohamed and
British Intelligence Agencies’ Complicity in Torture 189
8 Conclusion 217
References 241
Index 305
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List of Figures
2.1 CIA Photograph of KSM on Capture 46
4.1 US Army Photograph of John Walker Lindh on 7 December 2001 98
4.2 US Agenda-Building Pre-Abu Ghraib (2001–2002) 116
4.3 US Agenda-Building Pre-Abu Ghraib (2002–2004) 117
5.1 Sabrina Harman Posing with ‘Iceman’ – the Corpse of
Manadel al-Jamadi at Abu Ghraib 122
5.2 US Agenda-Building Post-Abu Ghraib (2004–2005) 163
5.3 US Agenda-Building Post-Abu Ghraib (2005–2006) 164
5.4 US Agenda-Building Post-Abu Ghraib (2007–2008) 165
5.5 US Agenda-Building Post-Abu Ghraib (2009–2012) 166
6.1 ‘The Choir’ – A Still from the Payne Video 179
6.2 UK Agenda-Building Regarding Abuse in UK Military (2003–2011) 186
7.1 UK Agenda-Building Regarding UK Intelligence Agencies’
Complicity (2001–2007) 214
7.2 UK Agenda-Building Regarding UK Intelligence Agencies’
Complicity (2008–2012) 215
This page has been left blank intentionally
List of Tables
1.1 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2002–2012 16
5.1 Significant American Mainstream News Stories (May – June 2004)
based on Leaked Documents 128
5.2 Documents Released in Press Conference on 22 June 2004 133
5.3 Publicly Released Military Investigations Concerning Abu Ghraib 135
7.1 Source of Stories in The Guardian claiming British Complicity in
Torture and Extraordinary Rendition (April – July 2012) 204
8.1 Deconstructing Power-Knowledge Relationships in the Torture-
Intelligence Nexus: Strategies 223
8.2 Agenda-Building Stories Challenging SPC Based on
Anonymous Leaks 236
