Newswise — The attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day came at the worst time for President Obama, says Will Walldorf, assistant professor of political science at Wake Forest University. It has reinvigorated debates about U.S. security in ways that will challenge the Obama Administration’s plans to close Guantanamo Bay.
The testing ground for this will likely come in future weeks when a nervous Congress must agree to house the Guantanamo detainees, including many from Yemen, at the Thomas Correctional Center in Illinois. “Any time there is a perceived threat on American soil, U.S. presidents downplay human rights as we are now witnessing. With Americans feeling more vulnerable, the big question is whether Congress will follow the same course.”
Walldorf, an expert on U.S. foreign policy and human rights, says the wrangle over Guantanamo will be very important in the overall debate about U.S. human rights policy. His recent book, “Just Politics: Human Rights and the Foreign Policy of Great Powers,” was recently named Best Book in International Security by the International Studies Association.
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