Twisted British Knickers

By Col. Gordon Cucullu

While lawmakers and politicians in the UK mull over how they are going to handle any Guantanamo detainees transferred to them - even if they are going to accept any - they are already fretting over appropriate control measures should some released detainees end up in England.

Akin at this stage of the process to analyzing quantity of angels capable of dancing on pinheads, UK authorities are discussing use of various "control measures" to keep track of the Guantanamo detainees. "These can include," the report notes, "a ban on using the Internet or mobile phones, being told to observe a curfew or other restrictions on travel, banning someone from airports or other locations, electronic tagging, and being told to report regularly to a police station."

Don't be too surprised if all this 'strum and drang' is simply a very pukka British way of ultimately declining to accept any detainees for "administrative reasons."

What are the consequences to the U.S. and other countries of accepting detainees onto their soil? Learn the dangers from Inside Gitmo: The True Story behind the Myths of Guantanamo Bay, and visit http://www.insidegitmo.com/ for up-to-the-minute reports and references.

In my book Inside Gitmo: The True Story behind the Myths of Guantanamo Bay, I outline the pros and cons of continued confinement of enemy combatants at Guantanamo, including public image issues. My conclusion is that a mere cosmetic makeover is unlikely to solve the root problems of Guantanamo but continued confinement will serve the dual purpose of removing dangerous men from the battlefield and yield valuable intelligence information that can be used to thwart an implacable enemy. That course of action will go a longer way to keep Americans safe than mere platitudes.