D
EMANDS for closure of the U.S. detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay have been increasing ever since Amnesty International called the camps the “gulag of our times.” Most of the critics argue that Guantanamo, which houses hundreds of captured Qaeda and Taliban fighters, is an invaluable propaganda and recruiting tool for America’s enemies, and that it has dam- aged the reputation of the United States as a human-rights champion. Of course, clos- ing the camps would not solve the problem of enemy propaganda and terrorist recruit- ing; so it is important to focus on an issue more basic than where captured terrorists are held. The bigger question is: How should the U.S. defend itself against the threat posed by jihadist terror? It is within this context that we should discuss the right legal and policy paradigm to govern the detention, interrogation, and ultimate dis- position of captured enemy combatants.
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