It’s been 14 years since the horrible attacks of September 11, 2001. While we will never forget the legacy of that day, there are aspects of the War on Terror that many seek closure on - including the literal closure of the facilities on Guantanamo Bay.
President Obama set out at the start of his presidency to close the detention camp by the end of his first year; now, it looks like it may even be difficult to do so during his final year as president. But why?
This week, Security Mom host Juliette Kayyem sat down with Matt Olsen, former Head of the Guantanamo Review Task Force, and Arnold & Porter attorney Amy Jeffress, who worked in the Department of Justice under Attorney General Eric Holder, about why GTMO remains open.
We heard a clear takeaway from both guests -- GTMO isn’t closed because, well, things are complicated. While the word GTMO brings to mind torture and other bad practices, tainting the name of the United States and what it stands for - there are also still 100+ detainees there who cannot be brought to trial here in the U.S. Olsen and Jeffress explain the legal and political reasons why.
Security Mom is a podcast hosted by Juliette Kayyem that aims to unpack how the strange and secretive world of national security works. Subscribe to the Security Mom podcast in iTunes.
