Obama's order to close Guantanamo
Why the next step in reversing Bush policy might be harder
What happened
President Barack Obama on Thursday signed executive orders to close the controversial U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year. He also called a halt to the use of harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects. (The Washington Post)
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now comes the hard part—actually shutting down Guantanamo, said Matthew Waxman in Foreign Policy. Sending detainees who aren’t dangerous back to their home countries is one part of Obama’s plan. “The big question is what to do with any detainees who are too dangerous or heinous to send home but who cannot be effectively prosecuted.”
Obama can’t just transfer the likes of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to a place like Kansas’ Fort Leavenworth, said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial. That would merely relocate “Guantanamo to American soil under another name.” And any process Obama uses to replace military tribunals will invite the same “left-wing attack lines” that plagued George W. Bush.
“Assuring fairness and civilized conditions for the accused, while protecting the nation from bloodthirsty enemies, is harder in this war than in most,” said the Chicago Tribune in an editorial. “But the new administration can do better than the last one did.”
Fixing this part of “Bush’s grotesque legacy will be a lot harder than closing the prison,” said The New York Times in an editorial. And the Bush administration’s harsh interrogation policies will make it tough to give those prisoners who really are dangerous anything resembling true American justice. But in his first hours in office, Obama has made a good start.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - September 16, 2024
Monday's cartoons - a second assassination attempt, eating pets, and more
By The Week US Published
-
'If this is a race, China has a commanding lead'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published