Gitmo closure?
23 Aug '15 14:453 editshttps://www.yahoo.com/katiecouric/now-i-get-it-gitmo-guantanamo-bay-president-obama-127264141618.html
President Obama has less than a year and a half before his time in office comes to an end. What’s lingering on his to-do list? Closing the U.S. military prison at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Guantanamo, or Gitmo as it is often called, which comes from its military abbreviation GTMO, opened in 2002, following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Gitmo became the holding place for individuals suspected of planning attacks against the United States. Since its opening, Gitmo has held more than 780 prisoners. Over the years, prisoners have been transferred or released. And now 116 still remain.
Since its inception, the detention center has been controversial. Human rights activists have argued for its closure. Others believe that Guantanamo has been crucial in the war on terror.
President Obama agrees Gitmo should go. In 2007, then-candidate Barack Obama made a promise to shut down Guantanamo saying, “Our legitimacy is reduced, when we’ve got a Guantanamo that is open, when we suspend habeas corpus. Those kinds of things erode our moral claims that we are acting on behalf of broader universal principles.”
But despite his attempts — in 2009 he signed a directive to shut down the prison — President Obama has faced a series of roadblocks.
Of the detainees still at Guantanamo, 52 have been cleared for release by interagency reviews. But Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s signature is needed for final approval. Some believe that Carter’s office is not moving fast enough and that Carter himself does not want to be held accountable for the released detainees.
But on Thursday, Aug. 20, Carter said about releasing prisoners, “I see it exactly as the president does.”
Even if the 52 detainees are released, 64 will still remain. And what to do with the prisoners deemed too dangerous to be let go is another hurdle for the White House.
The Pentagon has said that it is looking at sites in the United States that could hold the prisoners. But as of now, it is illegal for federal funds to be used to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to the U.S.
The clock is ticking for President Obama to complete his campaign promise. So when it comes to the question of what to do with Gitmo, at least after watching this video you can say, “Now I get it.”
President Obama has less than a year and a half before his time in office comes to an end. What’s lingering on his to-do list? Closing the U.S. military prison at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Guantanamo, or Gitmo as it is often called, which comes from its military abbreviation GTMO, opened in 2002, following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Gitmo became the holding place for individuals suspected of planning attacks against the United States. Since its opening, Gitmo has held more than 780 prisoners. Over the years, prisoners have been transferred or released. And now 116 still remain.
Since its inception, the detention center has been controversial. Human rights activists have argued for its closure. Others believe that Guantanamo has been crucial in the war on terror.
President Obama agrees Gitmo should go. In 2007, then-candidate Barack Obama made a promise to shut down Guantanamo saying, “Our legitimacy is reduced, when we’ve got a Guantanamo that is open, when we suspend habeas corpus. Those kinds of things erode our moral claims that we are acting on behalf of broader universal principles.”
But despite his attempts — in 2009 he signed a directive to shut down the prison — President Obama has faced a series of roadblocks.
Of the detainees still at Guantanamo, 52 have been cleared for release by interagency reviews. But Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s signature is needed for final approval. Some believe that Carter’s office is not moving fast enough and that Carter himself does not want to be held accountable for the released detainees.
But on Thursday, Aug. 20, Carter said about releasing prisoners, “I see it exactly as the president does.”
Even if the 52 detainees are released, 64 will still remain. And what to do with the prisoners deemed too dangerous to be let go is another hurdle for the White House.
The Pentagon has said that it is looking at sites in the United States that could hold the prisoners. But as of now, it is illegal for federal funds to be used to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to the U.S.
The clock is ticking for President Obama to complete his campaign promise. So when it comes to the question of what to do with Gitmo, at least after watching this video you can say, “Now I get it.”
Back to Top