Spies, Paranoia, and Torture

Abstract

Paranoia is not a Bush-era invention. And yet, the days after September 11, 2001, the constant dread of further attacks, be they hijackings or anthrax poisoning, were a high point of paranoia in American history. It was a time when, as Jane Mayer describes, the armored motorcade that chauffeured Vice President Cheney to his office contained a gas mask along with a biochemical survival suit and was accompanied by a medical doctor (5).¹ The paranoia that gripped the government also affected American citizens, who were called upon to participate in the war on terror through constant vigilance. “Report all suspicious activity” became a refrain that accompanied all public activities. It was a time when everyday objects such as backpacks, phones, or packages could be perceived as potential weapons of terror (see Bratich 142).

We’ll have to work sort of the dark side, if you will… And, uh, so it’s going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal basically, to achieve our objectives.

Vice President Cheney, qtd. in The Dark Side, 9–10

All you need to know is that there was a “before 9/11” and there was an “after 9/11.”

After 9/11, the gloves came off.

Vice President Cheney, qtd. in The Dark Side, 43