From Captive to Suicide Bomber

The Post poses the question of whether the treatment of Guantanamo detainees increases the likelihood of them committing future terrorist acts. The logic is plausible, although it is worth noting that the individual mentioned in this piece was not necessarily peaceful to begin with--he likely had gone to Afghanistan to fight the Northern Alliance.

The case suggests that the arbitrary nature of the U.S. detention policy is as threatening as its harshness--the captive was released when his condition had clearly deteriorated and made him more dangerous. President Obama cannot just craft a policy that is more humane; he will have to find a way to undo the harms of prolonged detention on former prisoners. Washing the United States' hands of the detainee problem will be neither safe nor just.