Obama's disappointing start

No doubt, in a system like the US it is idle to expect that things would change overnight with the change of administration. Besides, the US is a superpower with long-term strategic goals and policies designed to promote them are devised with both Congress and administration on board. Unless there is a change in the perception of strategic interests, a new face in the White House replacing the one from another party that had been occupying it earlier would make only a cosmetic difference.
But supposing the incoming president, who enjoys the backing of Congress like Mr Obama, would like to shift the strategic focus, there would inevitably be a time lag before the situation on ground could be assessed from the new perspective, the previous policies reviewed and the fresh ideas put into effect. His supporters would, therefore, counsel restraint against jumping to the conclusion. Nevertheless, the world made to weather an eight-year-long stormy spell under the presidency of Mr Bush would be eager to get some signs of relief in line with the all-round expectations raised by the humane and understanding view of Mr Obama's psyche, which has emerged from his campaign speeches.
The decision to shut down the Guantanamo torture cell, and possibly other secret prisons in Europe and elsewhere, should not be seen as a shift in policy. The Bush administration had been under mounting pressure from friends and foes and internal forces for quite some time to get rid of these ugly unconstitutional spots that had rubbished Washington's claim of being a symbol of democratic ideals. The vengeful exploits of American soldiers, under authorisation of the concerned official quarters, left permanent scars on the bodies as well as minds of the detainees, a large number of them had, incidentally, never been charged with any crime. Some had died from unbearable pain; some had committed suicide; some were maimed for life; others freed when nothing could be found against them, only to spearhead what the US called the War On Terror and what they maintained 'freedom struggle against occupation forces'. Closing down this defamed site of grave human rights violations would go at least some way in retrieving the sullied image of the United States.