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VIDEO

Guantanamo Bay, Torture, and Drones: Are We Countering Violent Extremism...or Fueling It?

Michel Paradis, Dr. Anouk S. Rigterink, Scott Roehm, and Engy Abdelkader

Twenty years after the tragic events on September 11, 2001, debate persists surrounding the efficacy of U.S. counterterrorism tactics. Some question whether languishing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and civilian casualties from drone strikes abroad contribute to the conditions and narratives that nourish–rather than extinguish–violent extremism. For instance, Faisal Shahzad justified his attempt to bomb Time Square as retribution for U.S. drone warfare in Pakistan. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen are responsible for thousands of civilian deaths–including children. What reforms are needed? Our experts discuss.

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