What should we do with the ninety-one prisoners still at Guantanamo? Bring them to the United States? Thirty-four are probably not a significant risk. But what about the others? I gave my opinion based on a Washington Post article, but what do you think?
Category Archives: International Relations
Why and How Do We Have Prisoners at Guantanamo?
Why and how do we have prisoners at Guantanamo? As part of the war on terrorism, President Bush issued an order that suspect terrorists are not entitled to the rights of the Geneva Convention. To try to get useful intelligence suspected terrorists were subject to renditions at black sites off the radar in places like Egypt. How much useful intelligence was gained is a matter of debate. The Gitmo prisoners end up in a “no man’s land” because of the lack of choices. What now? I’ll take that up next. What do you think?
Why Do We Have Guantanamo in the First Place?
The deadline for a decision on what to do with the Guantanamo prisoners has come. But why are we in Guantanamo in the first place? We have had a protectorate over Cuba since the Spanish American War. Our Guantanamo Bay base has unmistakable strategic importance. Even Castro’s Cuban Revolution didn’t change this. It is a secure military base, actually an ideal place for detaining potential terrorists.
North Korea’s ICBM’s and Hydrogen Bomb in Context
To put the North Korea’s ICBM’s and its purported underground test of a hydrogen bomb into context, it helps to review the background of the split between North and South Korea. I’ll talk next time about key similarities between North Korea and nations in the Middle East. I’m always interested in your comments.
Will Sanctions Work to Restrain North Korea?
There’s a lot of noise lately from North Korea. Execution of a General is nothing new, but we should pay attention to their reaction to sanctions in response to their recent ICBM launch. The escalation currently happening shows North Korea’s unpredictability and willingness to take actions that are to the detriment of the North Korean people. I don’t think we’ve heard the end of this? What do you think?
The Grand Battle in ISIS’ Apocalyptic Vision
Where is ISIS coming from? ISIS’ apocalyptic vision will not go away just by defeating ISIS militarily. ISIS would welcome a ground war that would fit their idea of a grand battle between good and evil. ISIS’ warped vision is very attracted to the disaffected and alienated. If we defeat ISIS militarily, who will occupy that territory?
How Big a Victory is Retaking Ramadi?
The Iraqi armed forces have retaken Ramadi. The American strategy of training and use of special forces is paying off. The real question is whether Iraq can hold on to Ramadi. Most of the Sunni Anbar Province is still under Sunni control. Still, this is a significant tactical victory, but whether it is a strategic victory remains to be seen. For the long term, developing a power sharing agreement is a critical need.
The Czar and the Sultan: Escalating Conflict Between Russia and Turkey
Collisions between Russia and Turkey in Syria have longstanding historical precedents. Irdogan’s ambition includes rebuilding the old Ottoman empire. Shooting down the Russian warplane overlooked the fact that Putin cannot be intimidated. The conflict between Russia and Turkey is likely to escalate with further sanctions. This is essentially the Czar and the Sultan with a centuries-old history of conflict. This isn’t going away anytime soon.
Could It Happen Here?
It is highly unlikely for an attack to happen because terrorist come here. ISIS recruits over the internet. To carry out a coordinated attack without being detected would be difficult, but not impossible. Isolated, radicalized U.S. citizens are the biggest risk.
How Was the Paris Attack Possible?
The Paris attack was coordinated with an attack in Mali. ISIS’ message is that they can hit anywhere. The breeding ground for radicalization is in Brussels. Europe’s system of taking in refugees is completely different from ours in the U.S. Terrorists do their research to find the weak spots, and they use the internet effectively.