Taming Terror

{
  "authors": [
    "Christopher Boucek"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Saudi Arabia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Security",
    "Military",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

In The Media

Taming Terror

A majority of Guantanamo detainees are likely to be repatriated to their home countries because there is not enough evidence to prosecute them in the United States. Rehabilitation programs can be an effective way to reintegrate former prisoners into society.

By Christopher Boucek

Published on May 3, 2009

Source: 60 Minutes

As the prison at Guantanamo Bay is shut down, a majority of detainees are likely to be repatriated to their home countries because there is not enough evidence to prosecute them in the United States. David Martin discusses with Christopher Boucek the "soft" approach in Saudi Arabia that has rehabilitated dozens of former Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Boucek notes that the recidivism rate among Guantanamo returnees is better than prisoners released from American jails, "the Saudis who have been repatriated thus far, to the best of my knowledge... nobody has been involved in violence..."

About the Author

Christopher Boucek

Former Associate, Middle East Program

Boucek was an associate in the Carnegie Middle East Program where his research focused on security challenges in the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa.

Recent Work

Q&A
Yemen After Saleh’s Return and Awlaki’s Exit
- Christopher Boucek
Q&A
Rivals—Iran vs. Saudi Arabia
- Christopher Boucek, Karim Sadjadpour

Political Reform Security Military Foreign Policy North America United States Saudi Arabia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary
Strategic Europe
Europe Should Not Let Nuclear Nonproliferation Die
Amid uncertainty caused by the Iran war, the global drive for nonproliferation has stalled. With Europe diplomatically marginalized and countries reassessing their nuclear options, efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons risk becoming irrelevant.
Jane Darby Menton
Commentary
Can Europe Compete with the United States and China?
Between the United States’ market-driven approach and China's state-led industrial strategy, Europe is reckoning with how it can remain competitive in the global economy. But is Europe in danger of becoming a U.S. or China colony?
Noah Barkin, Anu Bradford
Commentary
Strategic Europe
EU Enlargement Forgets Europeans
Preparing candidate countries for EU membership is no longer enough. As the enlargement process becomes a reality, the union must also prepare its own societies.
Iliriana Gjoni
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion
The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.
Rym Momtaz
Paper
Ecological Statecraft in the Midst of War: Water, Regeneration, and the Future of Gulf Security
The U.S.-Iran war has crossed a dangerous threshold: water infrastructure in the Gulf is now a target. Ecological statecraft is no longer peripheral to security, it's part of its foundations.
Olivia Lazard, Ali Bin Shahid

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Europe Should Not Let Nuclear Nonproliferation Die

Amid uncertainty caused by the Iran war, the global drive for nonproliferation has stalled. With Europe diplomatically marginalized and countries reassessing their nuclear options, efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons risk becoming irrelevant.

Jane Darby Menton

Commentary

Can Europe Compete with the United States and China?

Between the United States’ market-driven approach and China's state-led industrial strategy, Europe is reckoning with how it can remain competitive in the global economy. But is Europe in danger of becoming a U.S. or China colony?

Noah Barkin, Anu Bradford

Commentary

Strategic Europe

EU Enlargement Forgets Europeans

Preparing candidate countries for EU membership is no longer enough. As the enlargement process becomes a reality, the union must also prepare its own societies.

Iliriana Gjoni

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion

The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.

Rym Momtaz

Paper

Ecological Statecraft in the Midst of War: Water, Regeneration, and the Future of Gulf Security

The U.S.-Iran war has crossed a dangerous threshold: water infrastructure in the Gulf is now a target. Ecological statecraft is no longer peripheral to security, it's part of its foundations.

Olivia Lazard, Ali Bin Shahid