Liberal torture is a strategic state tool, not primitive cruelty

Evidence

The use of torture by liberal-democratic states is part of their attempt to control populations of noncitizens. In such cases torture cannot be attributed to “primitive urges”—as Scott suggested. Nor to governmental techniques for disciplining citizens, as Rejali has argued. It is to be understood as a means used strategically for the maintenance of the nation-state’s interests. Like warfare. — Talal Asad, Formations of the Secular, 562

Categorization

• XREF: Directly separates Asad’s secular-state analysis from raw-discipline models; shows liberal torture targets noncitizens, aligning with sovereignty-boundary readings of modernity.