Guantanamo Detainees and Yemen

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In The Media

Guantanamo Detainees and Yemen

As the international community searches for ways to prevent further destabilization in Yemen, the Obama administration is being forced to rethink its plans for the numerous Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

By Christopher Boucek

Published on Jan 4, 2010

Source: BBC News

In order to tackle the security challenges emanating from al-Qaeda's presence in Yemen, both a short-term and long-term strategy is needed. In the short-term, the Yemenis should employ a kill or capture model for known al-Qaeda operatives. However, “this strategy needs to be performed in fact or perception by the Yemenis. If it is viewed as being performed by the Americans or the British, it will only feed into grievances that fuel al-Qaeda militancy and undermine the Yemeni government,” notes Christopher Boucek. In the long term, the focus of the international community should be to bolster Yemeni state capacity.

As instability in Yemen continues to increase, the Obama administration is being forced to rethink what to do with the numerous Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay. According to Boucek, “The role of former Guantanamo detainees in al-Qaeda demonstrates that the United States needs to do whatever it can to get former detainees into programs that facilitate a return in a system that will support them. These programs are for risk mitigation.”

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 Foreign Policy Middle East Yemen

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.

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