Guantanamo Bay as a Terrorists’ Location

Introduction

Guantanamo Bay is a place where people who threatened the USA and its population are held. Many individuals argue whether this detention camp should be used further or it is time to close it (Buncombe, 2016). The problem is that while it was created in order to imprison criminals, it is currently often used by terrorists to ensure the participation of those people they can recruit for future attacks.

Tool for Propaganda

According to the national security experts, “numerous examples of al Qaeda, its affiliates, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) using Guantanamo Bay for their propaganda purposes since 2009” have been revealed (“Guantanamo Bay,” n.d., para. 1). Even the former president of the USA agreed with this fact, revealing that terrorist often uses this detention camp to provide that the country is hypocritical and immoral. Even the use of orange jumpsuits is interpreted as a symbol that reveals the connection between terrorist actions and Guantanamo Bay, as the representatives of ISIS use such clothes to dress up their victims and hostages. Terrorist organizations often speak about the mentioned detention camp to make their recruits believe that the USA performs violent actions that are to be addressed with retaliation.

Resource-Consuming Facility

Guantanamo Bay used to be rather effective, but currently, it is not necessary to defeat terrorism because it fails to work as intended (Russell, 2017). The detention camp does not advance the country’s security anymore, as it is often used as a terrorist recruiting tool. Moreover, this facility turns out to be rather resource consuming. More than $400 million of military funds are spent to keep it running for a year. In addition to that, about $200 million is required for future operating (Molloy, 2016). These drawbacks of Guantanamo Bay are recognized by numerous politicians. The current president of the USA and two his predecessors believe that the camp should be closed, which proves that it is not critical for terrorism defense.

Contradiction with American Values and Absence of Deradicalization

The USA is often associated with a place where people can receive a second chance to improve their lives for the better. Moreover, it is believed to be a country where all people are free and equal. Unfortunately, Guantanamo Bay does not support this image and contradicts American values. This camp imprisons not only criminals but also those people who are suspected of terrorism. As their guilt is not proved, it seems to be wrong to hold individuals without any charges (Stracqualursi & Mclaughlin, 2017). In this way, the biggest issue associated with Guantanamo Bay is that it fails to check the support for terrorist ideals. The camp does not deradicalize inmates, which means that it fails to ensure that those individuals who are likely to attack the USA will not do so. Of course, it would be wrong to claim that terrorist groups develop their attacks because of Guantanamo Bay and activities performed in it. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that the enemies of the USA use this detention camp as proof of the fact that the country is the major enemy of Muslims.

Conclusion

On the basis of the discussed information, it can be concluded that being created to defend the USA and its population from terrorist attacks, Guantanamo Bay fails to meet these expectations. In fact, it turns out to be a tool of propaganda used by the country’s enemies to recruit new jihadists. Thus, the camp is not necessary to defeat terrorism.

References

Buncombe, A. (2016). Guantanamo Bay: Why was it set up, what are the controversies and why does Obama want to close it? Web.

Guantanamo Bay: A terrorist propaganda tool. (n.d.). Web.

Molloy, P. (2016). 5 reasons to close Guantanamo Bay and a 4-step plan to get there. Web.

Russell, J. (2017). Why Guantanamo Bay must be closed for good. Web.

Stracqualursi, V., & Mclaughlin, E. (2017). Can the NYC terrorist suspect be detained in Guantanamo Bay? Web.