Question of the Day: Can Terrorism Destroy Democracy?

Over one hundred prisoners have died in suspicious circumstances in U.S. custody during the war on terror. Taxi to the Dark Side takes an in-depth look at one case: an Afghan taxi driver called Dilawar who was considered an honest and kind man by the people of his rustic village. So when he was detained by the U.S military one afternoon, after picking up three passengers, denizens wondered why this man was randomly chosen to be held in prison, and, especially, without trial?

The documentary, by award-winning producer Alex Gibney, carefully develops the last weeks of Dilawar’s life and shows how decisions taken at the pinnacle of power in the Bush Administration led directly to Dilawar’s brutal death.The film documents how Rumsfeld, together with the White House legal team, were able to convince Congress to approve the use of torture against prisoners of war.

In The News:

• Maitaining their innocence, the Telegraph reported that the US insists that it did not torture terrorist suspects.

"In response to the Sept 11 attacks the administration
originally approved harsh interrogation methods as long as they stopped short of producing pain equivalent to experiencing organ failure or death.But from late 2004 onwards it was obliged
to begin stating it did not condone harsh interrogation practices, as opposition rose in Congress, the US judiciary and around the world."

• The Boston Globe recently commented on the hypocrisy of American statements in light of its torture tactics.
• This volitality of this topic is seen in many blogs that have risen on the internet. One worth reading is Not In Our Names, which provides commentary on the use of torture in the "war on terror".

For more clips from this movie and from the other Why Democracy? films, check out www.youtube.com/whydemocracy

Have your say in our forum and watch how celebrities, athletes and politicians answered the question of the day on our 10 questions page.