The Geneva Conventions & The War on Terror

The Geneva Conventions were a set of rules and standards that regulated and governed the treatment of prisoners of war, and civilians who were detained that were not considered dangerous. This agreement is between the United States and other countries around the world that have agreed upon the terms of the conventions. The most important of the conventions is the third Article, which states that "Protected persons are entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and practices, and their manners and customs. They shall, at all times, be humanely treated, and shall be protected, especially against all acts of violence or threats thereof and against insults and public curiosity," (Fourth Geneva Convention). 

The signing of the Geneva Conventions in 1949

The original document from the1864 Geneva Convention

The Geneva Conventions are important to Americans because we try to hold our standards of treatment of prisoners of war higher than other countries. We want our soldiers to be treated humanely if they are captured, therefore, we try to hold this same principle true with prisoners of war we capture. These conventions became an issue during the war on Afghanistan in 2001. The Justice Department determined that they did not apply in the war against al-Qaeda because they did not sign or agree to the conventions, nor do they follow the rules of warfare. Because al-Qaeda targets and kills civilians, they do not deserve to be treated according to the principles of the Geneva Conventions. 

The President's decision to disregard the Geneva Conventions 

in Afghanistan drew outrage from the public

In early 2002, President Bush made the unprecedented decision that the standards of the Geneva Conventions would not hold up for the members of al-Qaeda during the war on terror in Afghanistan. Since the war was dependent upon intelligence gained from prisoners of war, the humane treatment of these detainees was critical and vital to the gathering of intelligence and eventual success of the war.