“The Long Road to Closing Guantánamo: Reflections on a Campaign”

Abstract

Drawing on both historical analysis and activist experience, this presentation narrates the long arc of grassroots efforts in the United States to close Guantánamo and end U.S. torture. Taking Witness Against Torture as its anchor, It divides this work into phases or periods and indicates the opportunities and challenges in each. It concludes with reflections from years of campaigning on U.S. politics, the national security state, the rule of law, American exceptionalism, and racial ideology

Bio

Jeremy Varon is a Professor of History at The New School in New York City and an organizer with Witness Against Torture. He is currently writing a book on American protest of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.