The Paradox of Gitmo

The United States Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay has a special place in U.S. Military history. It is located in Southeastern Cuba, and has been in continuous use since 1903 when the United States government obtained a lease on the land from the Cuban government. It is the only military base located in a country without diplomatic relations with the United States. Guantanamo Bay Naval Station is beyond my experience. I cannot know what life in a war zone is like. I have never been to war. However, I can say with certainty that the state of readiness that our soldiers maintain, and the location that they occupy, places them in a unique position. They are the only permanent United States military station on hostile soil in a state of battle readiness. We’ve been there for 105 years. The cold war is not over. Ask the soldiers that are garrisoned there.

Of course, we have all heard the nickname. Gitmo. It certainly seems to roll off the tongue easier than “United States Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay”. I’m a believer in clear communications, and brevity is the soul of clarity, my apologies to Polonius. I won’t waste time in a debate about moral issues or diplomatic intricacies. I’ll leave that to people who are skilled at debating. The fact is this; Gitmo is necessary to the security of our nation, for a variety of well established reasons. Geographically, it’s very location provides a strategic buffer between our nation and that of our enemies. It played an instrumental part in the resolution of the Cuban missile crisis and arguably played a role in the downfall of Nikita Khrushchev.

Gitmo is also a key player in the detention of foreign nationals who have been arrested or detained in connection with terrorist activities. According to BBC America, 34 year old Yemeni national, Salim Ahmed Hamdan is one such detainee. He was a driver for Osama Bin Laden, and the first of over 600 Gitmo prisoners to be linked to his former employer. He has not been charged. A recent U.S. Supreme court ruling is likely to change that. A six to three majority ruling has cleared the way for detainees to receive a trial.

To be honest, I haven’t come to any final conclusions about this development. It has intricacies and far reaching ramifications that certainly make it extremely complicated. Like the United States Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, this Supreme Court decision exists outside of the realm of black and white. Like terrorism itself, everything is a shade of Grey. I find that a great many people have significant difficulty thinking in terms that aren’t black or white, all or nothing. In this complicated crisis, I find that extremely disturbing.

Our nations conscience is battling it’s own demons vicariously through the soldiers we task to keep us safe, in a military installation on hostile foreign soil, with politicians who’s vested interests often lay in their own political ambition.

Every good stage magician appreciates the importance of misdirection. Because our country suffers from a short attention span, the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay has an important role no matter how the courts rule. If nothing else, that facility provides a national distraction, diverting attention away from the anti terrorist work that must be done for our national safety. The world has changed, and the threats we face are unconventional in their lethality and often incomprehensible. The cold war had an element of stability because there was a predictability to it that was born of a balance of power. Mutually assured destruction drew clear cut lines with well understood rules. That delicate balance is gone, and the world is a more dangerous place for it. We must change our tactics, and rethink our attitudes.

For goodness sake, don’t let yourself forget 9-11-2001, the day our country was stabbed in the heart.

Is it all a magic act that lets us sleep with a clear conscience while we do what has to be done? I don’t know, but if so, I can live with that.