To Close or Not to Close

After September 11, 2001, the United States began a global campaign to eliminate terrorists and their support networks. During the Global War on Terror, President George Bush established the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to hold individuals captured during military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. From the very beginning, Guantanamo Bay has faced criticism throughout the world. The Bush administration was ill prepared to begin and sustain detainee operations and failed to properly classify detainees under the Geneva Conventions. Subsequently, the Administration developed questionable legal processes for the detainees by capitalizing on the legal-free environment offered at Guantanamo Bay, which led many to call for the closure of the detention facility. After only two days in office, President Barack Obama ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay and a review of all detainees to ensure proper classification, prosecution, and need for continued detention. Is the closure of Guantanamo Bay necessary or is the problem the policy and procedures regarding the detainees and the conditions of their detention? This work presents the history of the classification and legal processes that faced the detainees since the first days of Guantanamo Bay. It then analyzes the arguments for keeping it open and closing it down and it examines the future steps required to close Guantanamo Bay in accordance with President Obamas executive order. Finally, it offers recommendations on how the U.S. can properly handle the disposition of detainees, to include legal due process in the U.S. criminal justice system, while still utilizing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Closing Guantanamo Bay is the wrong answer. The U.S. must revamp the its methods for dealing with detainees during the GWOT and for any future military campaigns.