So it looks like the Others are giving us a lesson in how to get what you want from a prisoner. Let's compare tactics:

Sayid brings Ben to the hatch and locks him up. He beats him senseless to get him to talk but only gets lies. They leave him there, not knowing what else to do. Ben starts messing with their heads. They tie him up, threaten him some more. They get nothing. They try to use him to trade for Walt but all they get is a gun toting Michael who sets Ben free.

The Others capture J/K/S. They take them back, lock them up. Kate and Jack are told things intended to break their spirit, make them believe there's no hope of escape and the future looks bleak. Sawyer is given the same message in a more physical way. He is physically punished in front of Kate when he acts up as a message for both of them. Jack is mentally worn down. They are 'kind' when the situation calls for it, otherwise brutal.

The Others' tactics seem to be much more successful. For all his military training, Sayid is lessed skilled in psychological warfare. Yet we've seen the Others have some weaknesses. They obviously don't know everything (though they make much of the fact that they know a lot) and they have some internal discord.

I just find it interesting that we've seen the captured prisoner scenario twice now (Ben even remarked to Jack about the ironic role reversal) yet we're seeing very different tactics used to weaken the prisoner. It seems attacking the mind and body works better than attacking the body alone. Thoughts?

Sayid's competence as military officer and intellegence gathering torturer has been in question for some time. He uses a simple beating to try to extract information from Benry as opposed to using better techniques he should be quite familar with like sleep deprivation, waterboarding, hypothermia, and so forth. Then, in this episode, he uses the Republican Guard tactic of guarding one approach while the Others Schwarzkopf him on the flanks.

The difference may be less about tactics and more about information/preparation. The Losties happened upon the capture of Ben unexpectedly; they had little information about the island and knew nothing of the Other's settlement hidden in the jungle. The Others watched the Losties for two months and hand-picked the three they wanted to capture. They have in depth files on them (at least Jack) so they can confirm any information given to be true or not. There is no need for a real life Iraqi lie dectector. I think the difference in Losties' tactics stems from the crudeness of their situation.

I am not so sure the Others' tactics are more successful, nor more humane. Benry did get a warm bed and wasn't locked in a bear's cage or subjected to hard physical labor. He got cereal too-sure there wasn't any milk, but that has to be better than a fish biscuit, right?

Psychological warefare works great if you have the time. When the Losties had Benry, they didn't know if they were pressed for time or not, they thought they didn't have time. Sometimes the brutal path has to be taken to get information quickly. If you have time, like the Others do you can use a different approach. Torture has its place and degrees of success.

The difference may be less about tactics and more about information/preparation. The Losties happened upon the capture of Ben unexpectedly; they had little information about the island and knew nothing of the Other's settlement hidden in the jungle. The Others watched the Losties for two months and hand-picked the three they wanted to capture. They have in depth files on them (at least Jack) so they can confirm any information given to be true or not. There is no need for a real life Iraqi lie dectector. I think the difference in Losties' tactics stems from the crudeness of their situation.

True, the Losties were at a distinct disadvantage at the start but if you think about it, they discovered the existence of the Others after only a week on the island. They could have tried harder to gain intelligence starting then. Of course the Others having their surveillance equipment and contact with the outside world meant it would be much harder, but the Losties were really caught with their pants down despite having Benry in their grasp. He just wasn't going to be broken.

I am not so sure the Others' tactics are more successful, nor more humane. Benry did get a warm bed and wasn't locked in a bear's cage or subjected to hard physical labor. He got cereal too-sure there wasn't any milk, but that has to be better than a fish biscuit, right?

I agree they are not necessarily more humane, but I think the Others have been more successful so far. As for their comparative treatment, Benry was offered one nice breakfast and treated like a human being and so was Kate. It was almost like returning the favour.

Psychological warefare works great if you have the time. When the Losties had Benry, they didn't know if they were pressed for time or not, they thought they didn't have time. Sometimes the brutal path has to be taken to get information quickly. If you have time, like the Others do you can use a different approach. Torture has its place and degrees of success.

I didn't get the sense that the Losties felt pressed for time when they had Ben, more like they had no idea what to do with him. Jack and Locke kept arguing about what the plan was and that they were keeping him locked up without a long term plan. It was only later they got the idea from Ben about using him for a trade. I don't think Sayid went apecrap all over Ben because he felt pressed for time, he did it because he was enraged and it had nothing to do with gathering information. He acted emotionally and that was his mistake. The Others in contrast have acted very thoughtfully and methodically.

I think Sayid and Ben have an appointment with destiny. I can't wait for those two to meet up again.

I wouldn't judge Sayid's skills by the Henry Gale episode. Sayid simply cracked under extreme stress and started flailing on Benry. He was in a very fragile mental state at the time, perhaps could even be considered mentally ill. (And even so, he was pretty awesome when he was so thorough with the reconnaissance at the grave.)

Sayid's best interrogation was Locke. He very quietly and methodically took the upper hand and got what he wanted.

Sayid's military tactics are also in question here.

He built a fire in an attempt to bring a "team" of others to investigate and his plan was to ambush them. However he and Jin guard the entrance to the jungle leaving thier most vulnerable person, Sun, with their best possession, the boat. The Others came right in and took it from them. The ambush should have been set up on the dock or on the boat itself.

So far the Others have definitely beaten the Losties in every "battle". Have the Losties had any successes? Capturing their leader, if it was accidental and he is the leader, was quite a coup, but that was of course done by someone who has survived for 16 years there (what does Rousseau do all day?) Hard men and women have come and gone - Sawyer loses to them every time, Kate (who's guard needed 5 pistols in his briefcase to keep her under control) has done nothing, Jack is all mouth, Sayid outmanouvered. Will any of them make any headway? My money is on Mr Eko if indeed he's still alive. If he was an African warlord then I suspect he's the real deal and at the moment he may be following the path of peace but if something turns him then the Others may pay the price.