Carrot, not stick

CARROT, NOT STICK: Some FBI agents charged with debriefing al-Qaeda operatives take issue with the tough interrogation measures favored by the Bush administration. "Just building a relationship with a person, and knowing your subject matter, is what works," said one FBI agent. Another observed that disaffected al-Qaeda members need to be given an incentive to offer information and that torture is not usually an effective incentive.

"People don't do anything unless they're rewarded" (New Yorker, September 11).

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