Investigative journalist Jane Mayer, best known for her work at The New Yorker, frequently explores delicate and complicated subjects. A troubling aspect of human behavior is illuminated by one of her insights: how societies can end up using strategies they once feared would be used against them.

Consider yourself strolling through a hazardous forest where untamed creatures are rumored to roam unchecked. You fear what might happen if one of these creatures attacked you, so you always keep an eye out and carry weapons for protection. Now picture yourself in a situation where you have the opportunity to apply those same defensive techniques to someone else who is perceived as a danger. At first look, this situation might appear to be morally dubious.

According to Mayer's research, some tactics—which are frequently linked to grave violations of human rights and which people dread would be applied to members of their own community if they were taken prisoner by adversaries—have been adopted and used in circumstances where those same people are now in a position of authority over others. It's as if, after having previously feared being subjected to such severe measures, one finds themselves employing them when given a position of power.

This observation begs the question of whether fear can produce the very results it seeks to avoid and how societies respond to perceived threats. Mayer's remark draws attention to the cyclical nature of power relationships and moral conundrums that result from confronting one's fears and then finding oneself in a situation that is similar but opposite.