The Long Road to Closing Guantanamo

This important new book analyses the legal, political, and moral entanglement caused by the US in creating an extra-legal basis for pursuing its perceived or alleged enemies after the 9/11 attack, and on how this entanglement might be resolved. After more than two decades, the Guantanamo Bay detention facility remains a stain on the reputation of both the US and its allies, a symbol of the violation of the rule of law, of torture, and ongoing inhumane treatment.

With contributions from academics, lawyers, investigative journalists and campaigners, the book starts by setting out the moral and policy issues raised by the detention facility and the history of its setting in Cuba. The second section explores the steps taken by US authorities to undermine the rule of law and accountability of all those involved. It also discusses intersectionality and marginalised and targeted groups. The third part of the book evaluates different approaches to closing Guantanamo Bay and towards restorative justice. The fourth section addresses the strategies of the network of lawyers, campaigners and other practitioners who have sought over years to get the detention facility closed. The book concludes with resources and materials for guiding those interested in closure and transitional justice.

It is one of the very few substantive academic studies of the Guantanamo Bay facility in the last ten years, and an important reminder of its largely unresolved issues.