Joe, The hard fact of the matter is that nations' foreign policies are largely driven by 'national interests'. This may not augur well with those who would like to see a more 'ethical' foreign policy but as Tony Blair was quick to discover, the two are incompatible in many instances. This said, the human rights of suspects MUST be protected at all times, be they suspected Al-Qaeda members or your run-of-the mill criminal. Gambian authorities should uphold all international human rights conventions that they are signatories to. Regarding the 'new and improved' relations between the US and The Gambia, I personally welcome it. It is certainly better than having to fall into the lap of a rogue state in spite of your perception of US foreign policy. I wish you and your family Happy Holiday Season. Sidi Sanneh ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~