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"We got more information out of a German general with a game of chess or Ping-Pong than they do today, with their torture," said Kolm, 90, an MIT physicist who had been assigned to play chess in Germany with Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess [1].

Also: Why Torture Doesn't Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation [2]

[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10...

[2] http://www.amazon.com/Why-Torture-Doesnt-Work-Interrogation/...

The alternative is to operate within the law and international convention.

From the sound of it, "do nothing" would be no less effective, and a bit cheaper.

Have you quantified the times when it has been effective though?

If you can't tell the difference between when its effective and when its ineffective, then the technique is worthless.