The Geneva Convention

The Geneva Convention

The Geneva Convention

• Given that the war on terror has been defined as a new kind of war, which is different from conventional battlefield war, should the U.S. continue to belong to the Geneva Convention?

• YES. It is important to protect our soldiers and other POWs who may be treated poorly if captured.
• NO. It would make more sense to move away from the treaty so that we can detain terrorists and use any means necessary to get information from them.

The Geneva Convention

• The Bush Administration argues that prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are NOT subject to the Geneva Convention because they are unlawful combatants rather than prisoners of war. Do you agree?

• YES. These combatants are different than prisoners of war and the convention should not apply.
• NO. These combatants are essentially prisoners of war and therefore the convention must apply.

The Geneva Convention

• If we do not follow the Geneva Convention for Guantanamo captives, are we violating the basic concepts of democracy under which our country was founded? Does this make our own country any less democratic?

• YES. The only way to uphold our democracy is to ensure that all prisoners have basic rights, including those detained at Guantanamo Bay.
• NO. The prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay are enemy combatants and we do not need to afford them the same protections as prisoners of war. This does not make our country any less democratic; it reflects the fact that the war on terror is a new kind of war demanding a different kind of governmental response.