Le Rôle Des Conseillers Juridiques De George W. Bush Dans L'utilisation

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Le Rôle Des Conseillers Juridiques De George W. Bush Dans L'utilisation UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL LE RÔLE DES CONSEILLERS JURlDIQUES DE GEORGE W. BUSH DANS L'UTILISATION DE LA TORTURE COMME OUTIL ANTITERRORlSTE MÉMOIRE PRÉSENTÉ COMME EXIGENCE PARTIELLE DE LA MAÎTRlSE EN SCIENCE POLITIQUE PAR VÉRONIQUE BOURBEAU JUILLET 2008 UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL Service des bibliothèques Avertissement La diffusion de ce mémoire se fait dans le respect des droits de son auteur, qui a signé le formulaire Autorisation de reproduire et de diffuser un travail de recherche de cycles supérieurs (SDU-522 - Rév.01-2006). Cette autorisation stipule que «conformément à l'article 11 du Règlement no 8 des études de cycles supérieurs, [l'auteur] concède à l'Université du Québec à Montréal une licence non exclusive d'utilisation et de publication de la totalité ou d'une partie importante de [son] travail de recherche pour des fins pédagogiques et non commerciales. Plus précisément, [l'auteur] autorise l'Université du Québec à Montréal à reproduire, diffuser, prêter, distribuer ou vendre des copies de [son] travail de recherche à des fins non commerciales sur quelque support que ce soit, y compris l'Internet. Cette licence et cette autorisation n'entraînent pas une renonciation de [la] part [de l'auteur] à [ses] droits moraux ni à [ses] droits de propriété intellectuelle. Sauf entente contraire, [l'auteur] conserve la liberté de diffuser et de commercialiser ou non ce travail dont [il] possède un exemplaire.» REMERCIEMENTS La rédaction de ce mémoire n'aurait jamais été possible sans le soutien des nombreuses personnes qui me sont chères. J'aimerais d'abord et avant tout remercier le Professeur Charles-Philippe David, d'une part, de m'avoir ouvert les portes de l'Observatoire sur les États-Unis de la Chaire Raoul-Dandurand, un milieu fort encourageant et intellectuellement stimulant puis, de l'autre, de m'avoir fait découvrir un sujet passionnant, souvent désillusionnant et désannant. Je le remercie du fond du cœur pour sa présence, son professionnalisme, sa générosité et son amitié. Merci à Élisabeth Vallet qui m'a convaincue de l'importance, dans la démarche intellectuelle, de rédiger un mémoire. Dès notre rencontre, elle a cru en moi et m'a constanunent poussée à parfaire mes connaissances et à relever de nouveaux défis. Merci à Lise Fortin et Serge Bourbeau, parents ilTemplaçables et exemplaires, qui m'ont toujours encouragée dans toutes mes entreprises, qui n'ont jamais douté de mes capacités et qui m'ont inculqué les plus belles valeurs, de la patience au dépassement de soi. Je vous remercie d'être ce que vous êtes et de votre présence inconditionnelle à mes côtés. Merci à ma grand-mère Solange qui m'a transmis la force nécessaire dans les moments les plus difficiles. Merci à Joël Plouffe, Frédérick Gagnon, Jean-Philippe Adam et Pierre-Louis Malfatto pour leurs relectures assidues et leurs commentaires éclairants, ainsi qu'à l'ensemble des membres de la Chaire Raoul-Dandurand pour leur soutien indéfectible et leur joie contagieuse : Nicolas Riendeau, Olivier Quenneville, Pierre-Olivier Garand, Julien TOUlTeille, Julie Médam, Julien Saada, Céline Huyguebaert, Marie-Chantal Locas, Greg Robinson et Linda Bouchard. Enfin, merci à mes amis qui ont écouté, sans relâche, mes commentaires sur Guantanamo et Abou Ghraib. Marie-Camille Genet, Catherine Daviau, Véronique Duchesne, Nancy Audet, Marie-Josée Bouchard, Marie-Hélène Paquette et Andrew Deschênes, je vous remercie pour votre compréhension sans limite. J'espère être parvenue à sensibiliser le lecteur à la question des droits humains et le conscientiser quant à l'importance de nepas se fier aux apparences car elles sont, plus souvent qu'autrement et bien malheureusement, trompeuses. TABLE DES MATIÈRES REMERCIEMENTS i RÉSUMÉ v LISTE DES ABRÉVIATIONS, SIGLES ET ACRONyMES vi INTRODUCTION 1 PREMIÈRE PARTIE LE « NOUVEAU PARADIGME» DE LA LUTTE CONTRE LE TERRORISME 21 CHAPITRE 1 LES ARTISANS DE LA REDÉFINITION DE LA TORTURE DANS LE CADRE DE LA LUTTE CONTRE LE TERRORISME 21 1. Un conseil de guerre émergent. 21 1.1 L'émergence du Bureau du conseil juridique après le Il septembre 2001 21 1.1.1 Le rôle particulier du Bureau du conseil juridique 21 1.1.2 L' autoproclamé « conseil de guerre» et le conseiller du président 23 1.1.3 L'émergence inopinée du BCl après 2001: quelques explications 26 1.2 La prépondérance du conseiller juridique de la vice-présidence 28 1.2.1 Un duo vice-présidentiel tout-puissant... 28 1.2.2 L'Exécutif unitaire et la séparation des pouvoirs 31 2. D'importants opposants marginalisés , 34 2.1 Des juristes militaires rabroués par le département de la Défense 34 2.2 Le combat du conseiller général de la Marine 35 2.3 Le Département d'État et le Conseil pour la Sécurité nationale ignorés 36 CHAPITRE II L'ACTUALISATION CONTROVERSÉE DE LOIS PRÉEX1STANTES 39 1. La réinterprétation des Conventions de Genève 39 1.1 La particularité du conflit avec les Talibans et AI-Qaïda en Afghanistan 40 1.2 L'inapplication des Conventions de Genève à AI-Qaïda 44 1.3 Le droit de Genève et les milices talibanes 46 lA Le président et les combattants illégitimes 51 2. Une redéfinition de la torture répondant aux nouveaux besoins antiterroristes 53 2.1 Un outil pour le renseignement américain 53 2.1.1 Un « nouveau paradigme» 53 2.2 Une définition plus flexible 55 2.2.1 L'intention spécifique 55 2.2.2 La douleur et la souffrance sévères 56 2.2.3 La douleur et la souffrance psychologiques sévères 57 2.204 Éviter les problèmes constitutionnels et protéger le personnel américain 59 DEUXIÈME PARTIE LES FACTEURS EXPLICATIFS DE L'INSTITUTIONALISATION DE LA TORTURE PAR LES CONSEILLERS JURIDIQUES DE G.W. BUSH .........63 CHAPITRE 1 UN APPAREIL BUREAUCRATIQUE SOUMIS À L'INFLUENCE DES CONSEILLERS JURIDIQUES DE L'EXÉCUTIF 63 1. Des ri valités organisationnelles au service de la stratégie des conseillers juridiques pour la torture 63 1.1 Des positions départementales aux antipodes 63 1.2 Une marginalisation effective des dissidents 65 1.2.1 L'exclusion du Département d'État 65 1.2.2 Le Conseil pour la Sécurité nationale (NSC) 68 1.2.3 Les militaires de l'Armée et de la Défense 70 1.2,4 Un refus délibéré de collaborer avec le Congrès 72 2. Un Exécutif dépendant de ses conseillers juridiques 74 2.1 La théorie de l'influence des conseillers 75 2.2 Un style présidentiel favorable aux conseillers juridiques 78 2.2.1 Un président peu actif lors du processus décisionnel 80 2.2.2 Un optimisme ancré dans une vision arrêtée du monde 81 CHAPITRE II LES ERREURS PERCEPTUELLES DE L'ÉLITE-CONSEIL À L'ORlGINE DE LA REDÉFINTION DE LA TORTURE 84 1. Des erreurs de perception affectant le processus décisionnel.. 84 1.1 L'influence de la perception du monde par l'administration Bush 85 1.1.1 Une lecture particulière de l'environnement politique et du terrorisme 85 2. Des stratégies psychologiques au service de la redéfinition de la torture 88 2.1 La redéfinition de la torture au nom de principes idéologiques rigides 88 2.1.1 La transposition de la « doctrine Bush» 89 2.1.2 L'omniprésence de la « doctrine Cheney» 91 2.1.3 La nécessité du «fotward-leaning» 92 2.1 ,4 Une fenêtre d'opportunité pour la poursuite d'agendas personnels 94 2.2 La pensée groupale et les pressions constantes en faveur du conformisme 95 CONCLUSION 101 ANNEXE 109 Annexe A: Colin L. Powell, Draft Decision Memorandum for the President on the Applicability of the Geneva Convention to the Conflict in Afghanistan, 26 janvier 2002 109 Annexe B : William H. Taft IV, Attachment, Comments on Your Paper on the Geneva Convention, Memorandum to the Counsel to the President, 2 février 2002 113 Annexe C : JOM Ashcroft to the President, [Sans titre], lor février 2002 Ils Annexe D : George W. Bush, Humane Treatment of al Qaeda and Taliban Detainees, Memorandum for the Vice-President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, Chief of Staff to the President, Director of Central Intelligence, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 7 février 2002 117 Annexe E : Alberto R. Gonzales, Decision Re Application of the Geneva Convention 0/1 Prisoners of War ta the Conf/ict With Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Memorandum for the President, 25 janvier 2002 118 Annexe F : JOM Yoo, Letter regarding 'the views of our Office concerning the legality, under international law, of interrogation methods to be used on captured al Qaeda operatives', Mémorandum adressé à Alberto Gonzales, lor août 2002 122 Annexe G: William 1. Haynes II, Counter-Resistance Techniques, Memorandum for Donald Rumsfeld, 27 novembre 2002 129 Annexe H: Donald Rumsfeld, Counter-Resistance Techniques, Memorandum for Commander USSOUTHCOM, 15 janvier 2003 130 TABLE DE BIBLIOGRAPHIE 131 BIBLIOGRAPHIE 132 RÉSUMÉ Dans l'après-II septembre 2001, le gouvernement de George W. Bush est particulièrement préoccupé par la possibilité que de nouvelles attaques se reproduisent en territoire américain. Afin d'éviter cette éventualité, les décideurs de Washington déclarent la « guerre contre le terrorisme» qui se déroule, dans un premier temps, en Afghanistan contre le régime taliban puis, dans un second temps, en ·Irak contre celui de Saddam Hussein. Lors de ces interventions militaires, plusieurs combattants talibans ou membres présumés d'AI-Qaïda sont faits prisormiers, certains déportés aux centres de détention de la base navale de Guantanamo. Ces détenus représentent dès lors une source privilégiée d'informations pouvant contribuer au succès des services de renseignement américains. Constatant l'échec des interrogatoires menés auprès des détenus à Guantanamo, certains décideurs de l'administration Bush vont estimer que le recours à des teclmiques radicales d'interrogation est nécessaire et justifiable dans le cadre de la lutte contre le terrorisme.
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