The curtain has opened on the Age of Obama. With inaugural celebrations in full swing, Obama rushed to meet supporters yesterday, having formally sworn to carry out the duties of President of the United States. His campaign slogan of “Yes we can!” had become a reality.
With the dream come true, Obama made his first move to change America’s image, signing an executive order to close the infamous detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The previous day, a military prosecutor had petitioned to suspend war crimes trials at Guantanamo for 120 days, pending the new President’s review of the military trial system. The closing of Guantanamo is an act laden with symbolism, as the temporary detention center became notorious for its illegal detentions, beatings, and forced confessions during the Bush’s epoch of anti-terrorism. This camp, where many innocent people were held on suspicion of being terrorists, without access to lawyers or formal legal proceedings, subjected to heartless torture and even murdered, has become a symbol of Bush’s flagrant violations of human rights.
It is natural that Obama should make suspending trials at the detention center one of the first moves of his presidency. First, Obama’s rise is the result of years of struggle by African Americans, particularly the turbulent civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.With this legacy on his back, Obama must “say no” to the severe violations of civil rights that have taken place at Guantanamo in order to be consistent with his image of penning a new chapter in the history of America.
Second, closing the jails at Guantanamo is, in a sense, fulfilling a campaign promise: he must send the message to the world and to the American people that he can walk the walk as well as talk the talk, in order to build confidence in his new administration.
Third, although Obama changed his tune about Bush in press conferences preceding the inauguration, calling him “a good man” and “a man who loves his family and his country,” and praised Bush’s contributions to his country and his cooperation in the transfer of power in his inaugural address, Obama is eager to distance his administration from the unilateralist “cowboy” style that earned Bush the resentment of the American people and the world. Guantanamo is an excellent first target in Obama’s campaign to restore trust in leaders and protect public justice. Of course, Obama understands that although not all of the Guantanamo detainees are terrorists, some are immense threats to the United States, and therefore not all of the inmates can be released in one fell swoop. They must be subjected to an intense culling process, and places must be found for them to be sent once they are released; some may require formal legal hearings. To keep the “bad guys” from being released along with the innocents, halting legal proceedings is a good, measured starting-point.
Obama’s quick action shows that he understands his position. Obama’s victory was due not just to his own charisma but also to Americans’ resentment of Bush’s administration. Obama’s high approval ratings are a reflection of Americans’ and the whole world’s thirst for change, but this is not unlike Bush’s record high approval ratings after the September 11 attacks, buoyed by a tide of international sympathy and support. Obama has learned the lessons of history – if he does not take advantage of the support he now enjoys both in the United States and abroad, then he will miss a golden opportunity and will, in a certain sense, repeat Bush’s mistakes.
In truth, not only America but the entire world has accorded Obama a great deal of respect and prestige, holding out the olive branch for the American government, eager to extend a conciliatory hand. For example, the hard-line Israeli government, which in previous days was busy waging war, unilaterally announced that prior to Obama’s inauguration it would cease military action and begin the process of withdrawing troops from Gaza, giving Obama a better platform from which to promote peace in the Middle East. China, which Obama views as a competitor, was eager to send a “congratulatory gift” to Obama suspending nuclear weapons research and development. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, one of the most rigid supporters of Bush’s war policy, plans to hold a summit in April with 20 heads of state, to create favorable conditions for Obama to step onto the world stage. And Canada, where Obama will make his first state visit, eagerly awaits him and looks forward to strengthening the traditional U.S.-Canadian alliance.
Although Obama faces many thorny challenges both at home and abroad, he is coming into office under the most favorable conditions. He should celebrate for a day then get straight to work to fulfill expectations at home and abroad, promote practicable policies, cooperate with Congress, cooperate with the world, turn a crisis point into a turning point, and bring the bounty of “Change” to America and to the whole world.
