Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Quote of the day: Krulak on Gtmo’s costs

Interesting letter to the editor of the Washington Post from retired Gen. Charles Krulak, a former commandant of the Marine Corps: The greatest cost of Guantanamo has been to American global leadership and credibility as a nation that respects the rule of law. . . . There are not benefits to outweigh these costs. In ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

Interesting letter to the editor of the Washington Post from retired Gen. Charles Krulak, a former commandant of the Marine Corps:

Interesting letter to the editor of the Washington Post from retired Gen. Charles Krulak, a former commandant of the Marine Corps:

The greatest cost of Guantanamo has been to American global leadership and credibility as a nation that respects the rule of law. . . . There are not benefits to outweigh these costs. In the time that federal courts convicted 195 members of al-Qaeda and its allies, the military commissions at Guantanamo convicted three. A recent report confirmed that most Guantanamo detainees have been low-level operatives. Many were captured and turned over to the United States by poor locals hoping to cash in on a $5,000 reward. The real absurdity of the Guantanamo boondoggle is that we never needed to spend a dime to create it."

Tom: Is it my imagination, or have Marine generals and Navy admirals been more vocal about opposing torture and abuse than have Army generals?

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.
Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.
Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.
A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine

The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi
Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi

The Masterminds

Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.