In her classic “The Origins of Totalitarianism”, Hannah Arendt notes that the brutal techniques of totalitarian governments often begin in overseas military adventures, in keeping conquered populations suppressed. The techniques and institutions (and personnel) that develop on the fringes of Empire are then brought home and unleashed on the domestic population. George Orwell described the mechanisms by which a perpetual war overseas coupled with a fear campaign about a domestic “enemy within” could be used to keep a people in totalitarian bondage. The USA would seem, on current evidence, to be following that historic path to the letter.

It seems to me that the characterisation of the “Torture Bill” below is too benign. Consider that the bill actually authorises (as non-torture) “physical injury resulting in extreme pain”. The only thing that is definitely classed as “torture” is injury that could reasonably result in death. Also, it outlaws almost any judicial review of one’s detention or interrogation, and permits the determination of one’s “detention” (imprisonment) to be at the arbitrary whim of the President and his cronies.

In other words, people, including US citizens, can be kidnapped and taken to secret camps (already set up outside the US, and currently being set up within it too) and tortured by, say, having their limbs fed into meat grinders, all in secret and without judicial review, and with it all being entirely LEGAL. There does not have to be any evidence against you, and you can be taken, imprisoned, tortured, “tried” and if necessary executed, without ever seeing any evidence against you, or even being charged with anything. Will it actually get that bad? No one can say, but that is what the legislation allows.

This is not an exaggeration. Nor is an hypothetical scenario. Some tens of thousands of people are currently imprisoned indefinitely as “enemy combatants” by the US and many are known to have have been tortured so severely that they have died as a result of their injuries. The difference now is that, with this new legislation, these powers can be turned on US citizens themselves. Given the Bush administration’s attitude to domestic opposition (such as bugging the communications of mainstream journalists who are writing investigative articles against them), not to mention it’s attitude to human rights, it would seem naive in the extreme to trust that they won’t be used.

This is the sort of legal situation that pertained in the old Soviet Union (or any number of other dictatorships), and indeed, former Soviet dissidents have added their voices to those condemning it. The question now is, where does the USA go from here? The direction of US politics has been unvarying since the 2000 election - towards increasingly authoritarian, anti-democratic forms, with the inexorable curtailment and elimination of civil liberties and human rights, coupled with the normalisation of aggressive warfare and the systematic undermining of elections. One can argue about how far the US is from actual, functioning fascism, but that it is on the way there, and at an accelerating rate, is beyond question at this point. How far will it go?

Surely, a democracy cannot go too far down that road, because it’s government will regenerate itself at the next election? But what, for example, is to stop George Bush from remaining President after his second term ends in 2008? The constitution? He’s shown zero respect for that quaint document thus far. All he needs is a pretext - say, a really BIG war, coupled with a terrorist attack or two on the US mainland (even some small ones would do, no need for another 911 spectacular). He has been quietly putting into place the mechanisms for universal conscription for a couple of years now, and an attack on Iran would almost guarantee a terrorist attack of some kind. And his attempts to place his executive powers above the law - any law - have been ongoing for years now.

OK, a pause for a reality check is needed at this point. After all, this is America we’re talking about, a country with deep traditions of democracy and freedom. Perhaps this scenario I have outlined is too bleak. Perhaps the American people will wake up in time and vote this wretched congress out in November, replacing them with people who will investigate the President’s crimes and bring prosecutions, and repeal all the obnoxious legislation that has been passed over the last 5 years. Perhaps Bush II will be replaced in 2008 with a President, of either party, who respects the rule of law and human rights and acts to repair the country’s battered electoral system.

Perhaps.