To the Point
Closing Guantanamo: Easier Said than Done
To make good on his promise to close Guantanamo Bay, President Obama needs to re-locate more than 200 prisoners. One likely location in northwestern Illinois has set off a political firestorm, and there's ongoing dispute over how to clear up all those cases. Also, the President's trip to China, and British soldiers are ordered to pay off the Taliban.
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenTo make good on his promise to close Guantanamo Bay, President Obama needs to re-locate more than 200 prisoners. One likely location in northwestern Illinois has set off a political firestorm, and there's ongoing dispute over how to clear up all those cases. Also, the President's trip to China. On Reporter's Notebook, Britain's new counter-insurgency manual tells soldiers to talk to Taliban leaders "with blood on their hands" and pay off potential recruits with "bags of money."
Banner image: Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois (L) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) speak to the media at a press conference about the Thomson Correctional Center on November 15, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: David Banks/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesWill Obama's Visit to China Bear Fruit?
At today's joint news conference in Beijing, President Obama and China's President Hu pledged cooperation while acknowledging their many continuing differences. James Fallows, Senior National Correspondent for The Atlantic magazine, has spent years in China.
Read the story7 minClosing Guantanamo: Easier Said than Done
Closing Guantanamo Bay means finding another place for some 200 prisoners Donald Rumsfeld once called "the worst of the worst." But many were scooped up in sweeps or handed over for money. Judges picked by the Bush Administration say 30 should be released right away.
Read the story35 minBritish Army Told to Bribe Taliban with 'Bags of Gold'
Unemployed or under-employed young men are being recruited by the Taliban for about 6£ ($10) a day in Afghanistan. Britain's new counter-insurgency manual tells officers to talk to leaders with "blood on their hands" and buy off potential recruits with "bags of gold," while not being "over-generous."
Read the story9 min
