Trump, torture and the United States’ obligations under international law [Blog post]

Donald Trump’s election as the next president of the United States has cast doubt on whether the United States will continue to comply with a variety of its different international human rights obligations. One issue in particular, Trump’s attitude towards the use of torture, could significantly diminish the United States’ compliance with its international treaty obligations. This blog post examines the United States’ international obligations with regard to torture, and whether Trump’s policies as proposed through his campaign statements conform to those obligations. It concludes that they do not and that if the United States reauthorises the use of torture it will be in violation of its international commitments.