Assignment/Activity Title Critical Thinking Paper Year 2013 Skill research/writing Portfolio CategoryCritical Reasoning The critical thinking

paper was the first time I had to write a major research essay. In my essay, I argued the side of the protection of civilian populations in times of war and conflict. This essay has deepened my perspective on the world because I found out that in countries around the world, civilians are being affected by land mines left behind or carpetbombing. I really became aware of what happened and is happening to innocent people around the world living in warzones. This paper gave me an opportunity to write about something I am passionate about which was much more interesting than the other essays I was assigned this year. If I were to do this project over again I would probably not have waited as long as I did before starting, because it was a lot of work. Through this project, my research and writing skills have improved. The second draft gave me a chance to re think my arguments, change them, and structure my essay in a more organized fashion. I was hard for me to structure my essay and organize all my thoughts at first. I never outlined before but this paper taught me that when writing an essay that flows, tit is necessary to outline thoughts beforehand so the essay is easy to follow. Next year, arguing the other side will be tough, because it is not what I believe in but what I have learned this year will help me next year. The skills I improved from writing this essay, and others this year will help me in the future because in any career it is necessary to know how to think critically and write clear paper arguing one side or another.

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Final Critical Thinking Paper

05/16/2013 Summative Critical Thinking Paper

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It is necessary for the United States to adhere to and ratify protocols I & II of the Geneva Conventions , sign the mineban treaty, and respect the United Nations Convention Against Torture to protect and aid local civilian populations being affected by conflict. Although the United States has signed and ratified the Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Convention Against Torture, they continue to violate the terms in these treaties causing death and destruction to many innocent civilian populations. The signing of the Mineban Treaty would force to the US to aid survivors of landmine explosions, destroy their stockpile of landmines, and to never trade or use these weapons again. Landmines are indiscriminant weapons of war because they are victim activated, so civilians are at risk as well as soldiers because the weapon does not choose its victims.

The Geneva Conventions of 1949 were an effort to protect civilian populations during war, which was signed and ratified by the United States with some reservations. In 1977 two protocols were added to the conventions, which the US did not ratify. Protocol I protected civilians vulnerable to international armed conflicts and Protocol II protected civilians of non international armed conflicts(civil wars)(iric.org). The International Committee of the Red Cross states that, The duty to distinguish between civilians and combatants is a key feature of the Additional Protocols(iric.org). The Geneva Conventions also protects people who are not taking part in the hostilities of war such as civilians and health aid workers and those who are no longer combatants. The United States has violated

these terms numerous times throughout the past 60 years to which they had ratified, and it is necessary for the US to ratify protocols I & II to prevent practices they have taken part in. For example, the act of extraordinary rendition violates international standards set in the Geneva Conventions, and the US uses extraordinary rendition to interrogate and torture civilians suspected of terrorism. Extraordinary rendition involves intelligence agencies taking foreign nationals suspected of involvement in terrorism to countries where the law does not protect them, and they can be handed to foreign agents to be interrogated (aclu.org). When speaking about extraordinary rendition, CIA agent Robert Baer stated, "If you want a serious interrogation, you send a prisoner to Jordan. If you want them to be tortured, you send them to Syria. If you want someone to disappear -- never to see them again -- you send them to Egypt." The 1997 Mineban Treaty is an international treaty signed by 161 countries to ban the trade, use, and stockpile of landmines, which can cause severe disabilities or deaths in countries where they were left behind. Even though the US has not used landmines since the first gulf war of 1991, and is the largest funder of de-mining operations contributing around $534.5 million since 2007, the Unites States has yet to sign this treaty (handicapinternational.us). If the US were to sign this treaty, they would have to destroy their stockpile of landmines which is estimated to hold 10.4 million mines(icbl.org). Only 36 countries have not signed this treaty including the US, North Korea, China, Syria, Russia, Iran, and Libya (icbl.org).

The 1987 United Nations Convention Against Torture was held in attempt to prevent torture worldwide and formally define torture, which the United States has signed

and ratified as well as 151 other countries in the United Nations. Part of the document defines torture as, Any act by which severe pain, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed(Article1.1). In a statement made by the United States regarding the convention, it says, the cruel, unusual and inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited by the Fifth, Eighth, and/or Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States(treaties.un.org). This means the US has signed an international document agreeing not to torture, and has parts of its own constitution that bans torture, but nevertheless has still broken these oaths proved by the organization Amnesty International which states, Since the United States ratified the Convention Against Torture in October 1994, its increasingly punitive approach towards offenders has continued to lead to practices which facilitate torture or other forms of ill-treatment prohibited under international law(amnesty.org). While both the Geneva Conventions and The United Nations Convention Against Torture strictly prohibit the act of torture on prisoners or civilians, the US has violated their agreements in the form of waterboarding, which was a method used by interrogators after the 9/11 attacks under the Bush Administration. Waterboarding is a form of torture that simulates drowning for the victim and inflicts the uncontrollable feeling of panic and terror, usually within seconds(Britannica.com). Waterboarding, done by US officials, was able to slip by international law because the US government decided waterboarding did not count as a mechanism of torture and it ordered officials to perform this act on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba and suspected Al Qaeda members. It is clear

that waterboarding is torture because it inflicts pain on the victim for the purpose of obtaining information, and the US has violated conventions and international law that they has supposedly agreed to. After the 9/11 attacks hundreds of Taliban and Al Qaeda suspects were sent to Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp, where the US holds their most important suspects, and commit acts of torture on the prisoners. In the article Guantanamo Torture Disallowed From Discussion in Tribunals, writers Jane Sutton and Josh Meyer explain that at Guantanamo, methods including waterboarding, mock executions and sleep deprivation, have already been disclosed by Bush and the CIA itself. During the US invasion of Afghanistan, fear of the Taliban was high, and Americans aerial bombed, killing hundreds of civilians which is why the United States needs to ratify protocols I and II and respect the pact they made when they signed the Geneva conventions. Professor Marc Herold says that the aerial bombings consisted of fuel air bombs, B-52 carpet bombing, BLU-82s, and CBU-87 cluster bombs and that the heavy use of bombs, reveals the emptiness in the claim that the UC has been trying to avoid Afghan civilian casualties (A DossierAerial Bombing of Afghanistan). The United States needs to respect and ensure the protection of civilians during wars so the civilians are not killed by weapons meant for the combatants, as seen in the aerial bombing of Afghanistan. Lastly, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, 70% of the victims of exploding landmine remnants are civilians. Many die from the impact of the blast, but those who live often have had a limb amputated and because they live in third world countries where landmines were left behind after war, they often do not get the medical attention and rehab they need. Roughly one victim is claimed every two hours by a unexploded mine left behind, and the United States needs to sign the Mineban Treaty to encourage other

countries to ban them as well so innocent civilians are not harmed by unexploded war remnants.

There are solutions that will help civilians living in areas of conflict to be protected such as the Geneva Conventions, the UN Convention Against Torture, and the Mineban Treaty, but if the US does not sign or adhere to treaties they signed, civilians will fall victim to the cruelty of war and weaponry. The Geneva Conventions ensure the protection of civilians during times of war who are not combatants, and if the United States can ratify Protocol I and II and follow them, it will ensure greater protection of the masses from death. Also, the US signing of the Mineban Treaty will prevent trade of US landmines to countries that still use them actively (hanicapinternational.us), and encourage Americans to donate money to de-mining organizations. Since the US is a very powerful force in the international community, it is likely that if the US acts like a leader and signs the Mineban Treaty, then others will follow suit. Lastly, it needs to be brought to the attention of Americans that the US government continues to violate the UN Convention Against Torture in multiple occasions such as Guantanamo Bay prison and in extraordinary rendition. If awareness is brought to this sad reality of the offences the US has committed to suspected criminals overseas, then the US will more likely than not decide to stick to their oath to the United Nations for the sake of the American reputation and for international human rights.

If the US does not adhere to the Geneva Conventions and ratify Protocols I & II, sign the Mineban Treaty, or respect their pledge to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, then civilians will continue to fall victim from warfare and weapons intended for

the combatants. The number of people who have fallen victim to unexploded war remnants will continue to rise everyday, people in areas of conflict could be in danger of bombing, and in the future the US may resort to means of torture when trying to get information out of a possible suspect who may be innocent. As a prominent leader in the international community, it is the duty of the US to help civilians in other countries who may be in danger and to recognize that they have committed acts of humanitarian injustice. This is why the US must take a stance to protect international humanitarian rights and ensure the protection of civilians by following the Geneva Conventions, signing the Mineban Treaty, and not violating the United Nations Convention Against Torture.

Works Cited "Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment." United Nations. United Nations, 10 Dec. 1984. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.un.org>. Herold, Marc W. "A Dossier on Civilian Victims of United States' Aerial Bombing of Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Accounting [revised]." Cursor Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2013. <http://www.cursor.org/stories/civilian_deaths.htm>. This article is all about the US aerial bombings of Afghanistan and the reprecussions. The bombs used, and the statistics on the wounded and dead the the cities where the bombs were dropped are here. The author has a PHD, MA, and BS so it is fair to say it is a credible source.

International Campaign to Ban Landmines. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.icbl.org>. Also has statistics on landmines, the US will have to destroy landmines arsenal if they sign the ban, how many countries have signed it, and the actual treaty and an explaination. Very helpful for the Mineban Treaty and Landmine topics. Not biased because they base their websites on one specific topic s its credible, writers are experts of landmines. International Comittee of the Red Cross. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.icrc.org>. This website was extremely helpful because it had all the information on the Geneva Conventions and who signed it and the protocols. No bias because red cross works internationally. Very helpful for information on the Geneva Convention's background. "Landmies." Handicap International. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.handicapinternational.us>. This website has information on landmines, statistics on victims of UXO, and information on the Mineban Treaty. Good website and credible for statistics on the damages war weaponry has done to civillians. "Legal Information Institute: US Constitution." Cornell University Law School. Cornell University, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.law.cornell.edu>. "Report on Torture." Amnesty International. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.amnesty.org>. Provides good evidence on how US violated the UN Convention against Torture. Has whole report on all occasions US has broken this oath. Reliable and credible source because it involved and extensive investigation and research to make sure all the facts were straight. "United Nations Treaty Against Torture." United Nations Treaty Collection. United Nations, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.treaties.un.org>. The United Nations Treaty Collection

was useful because it provided the actual text from treaties, countries who had signed/ratified them, and an explanation of the treaties. No bias, because it is the actual website of the organization that makes the treaties. Overall useful for the UN Convention Against Torture. "Fact Sheet: Extraordinary Rendition." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://aclu.org>. Provides extensive information of extraordinary rendition and where the US has violated it. Also has quotes from CIA agents who state that the US has done this so it is a credible source. Sutton, Jane, and Josh Meyers. "Guantanamo Torture Disallowed From Discussion In Tribunals." Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. Provides information on Guantanamo Bay and proof from prisoners released form the prison. Also says that waterboarding and other forms of torture were used there. "waterboarding". Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2013 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1470200/waterboarding>.