An odd article, with major gaps in referencing even for its second slab quote. Was it written in 2008 when its references stopped?

Besides being an attack on an individual it appears ignorant that torture by the US may well have ended several years ago. Meanwhile the article doesn't mention more current and extensive torture in China, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Russia.

The article's lack of balance makes it a diatribe, but then again anti-Americanism always gets more air time - some sought of cub badge.

Planta

Thank you for such a carefully and well argued essay, Max.

Despite his large amount of outpourings and public intimations of his love of literary classics, etc, I have always found his offerings lacking in depth and/or analytical rigour. I seldom read his pieces in full in recent times, and feel a little guilty from an intellectual point of view. After all, he has been given such a prominent position by our only national broadsheet.
Not any more. Not since his article quite a few weeks ago that began with: Richard Dawkins was outclassed by Archbishop George Pell in every respect,referring to the Q&A session the previous Monday night when Dawkins and Pell were the only two on the panel. In fact Pell showed, to the embarrassment of many, not only little understanding of scientific thinking, but a derelict grasp of one of the central issues of his church today.

Sheridan delights in revealing his intimacy with the powers that be. Lauding American policy makers and practices no doubt pay dividends for his own stature and reception in God's own country. He seems to like to be on the winning side as well. Sucking up to the Israelis over the occupation of Palestine for instance. But as with the case over Pell, neither intellectual discourse nor ethical and moral deliberations appear to be his suit.

Thank you Max for lifting the veil.

"Torture," is a word that is only used in Australia when discussing matters overseas, but if anyone actually wanted to really look at torture, with a view to not tolerating it and eradicating it, they would commence with what occurs completely sanctioned in Australian prisons and places of detention. However, instead, we see only the most meagre lip service from aid agencies like AI and the UN, and feigned government interest in ratifying the OPCAT. There are effectively no independent statutory accountability mechanisms in regard to human rights investigations under state-based prison systems.

The 2000 WA prison torture report documented cases of prisoner abuse and formed Australia's first torture report to the UN and despite repeated UNCAT recommendations, Australia's government is still pretending torture does not happen here. It does, it has been documented, and then rubber stamped - happens every day - just take a look. I suspect that if those who had experienced torture managed hosted international aid groups, such as AI, then eradicating it might take on a new priority.

Discussion of torture as if it can only occur somewhere else, is denying, yet again, the fundamental truth that it has occurred in our own backyard for hundreds of years now, and is occurring still today in all places of detention, without any appropriate remedy or even acknowledgement by our post-colonial government.

Well said Chek, except I think you meant to say that Pell was outclassed by Dawkins.

Pete, that is a disappointing comment below your usual standard. The fact that the Chinese and others, including the Briitsh whom you don't include also torture does not justify the Americans doing so. In fact, torture has been widely used by many western societies for a very long time and it is idle to pretend otherwise. The truly sad part is that regardless of the known breaches of national and international law by the torturers there is absolutely no accountability. Hence they feel free to continue.

As for Sheridan. How such a sorry apologist for international outlaw nations such as the US and Israel can be said to be Australia's leading foreign policy analyst beggars belief. It says more about the state of intelligent commentary in this country than it does about Sheridan's alleged status.

I largely agree with Planta's summation. I would simply add that torture does not work.
People getting their toenails pulled etc/etc, will agree to, or say anything that stops the pain!
Any information relied on from this extraction method is likely to be completely unreliable.
One catches many more flies with a teaspoon full of honey than a whole jar of vinegar.
A quiet chat, a convivial cup of tea, humane treatment and the reward of privileges, may been seen as soft.
But gets far more in the long run, as does respecting human rights, different cultures and traditions.
We can hardly beat terrorism and the extremely evil men who propagate it, by becoming worse or more inhumane than them.
Given one can only lead or differentiate by example, then surely it should be the very best that we as a civilized culture, can produce.
It may be a slow way of extracting essential information, but far more reliable in the long run!
Having said that, let me say this.
If I knew for sure and certain that a dirty bomb was ticking down towards a mass destruction of innocent civilians! I would be prepared to use all and any means, including the extreme fear/terror laden screams/vomit/diarrhoea, that holding a red hot iron near an eye, would induce; or, electrified testicular shock treatment etc/etc, to extract completely validated, essential life saving information, in a critical timely fashion.
Moreover, there would be no eye witnesses or victim to interrogate or report, once all available information was extracted, just the smell of a righteous and completely justified burning, emanating from the nearest crematorium!
The ashes would have an unusually high lead content!
Rhrosty.

James, your concluding paragraph gives a nice, accurate summary about our Greg.

He is one of a conga line of pro-Israeli-American suckholes. Others can be found in dark crevices in Parliament House in Canberra.