For those of us hoping for a radical departure from Bush-era interrogation and detention policies, Barack Obama's record on torture is thus far profoundly disappointing. Upon taking office in 2009, Obama formally repudiated torture and soon called for the release of some of the worst of the Bush administration's torture memos. Yet as 2011 draws to a close, President Obama has for the most part failed to honor his commitment to reverse the shameful Bush legacy of state-sponsored torture, extraordinary rendition and indefinite detention.

In defiance of international law, Obama has adamantly refused to pursue prosecution of the officials responsible for these war crimes. Obama's policies, deeply at odds with his stirring promises early on to reset our nation's moral compass, are best understood within the historical context of US involvement in state-sponsored torture over the last half century. This essay argues that the current torture debate must be situated within a broader historical analysis and theological critique of American empire, particularly the forms empire has assumed from the Cold War years to the present.

The first part of this essay considers the role torture has played in the expansion of US empire for over half a century. For my reflections, I draw on the work of historian Alfred W. McCoy, who analyzes the devastating effects upon the human psyche of the “psychological paradigm” of torture employed globally within US detention centers after 9/11, the roots of which lie in cruel, CIA Cold War interrogation practices.