May 14, 2013 - 3:36pm
Blogging Blue: Guantanamotel Bay
BY LAYAN CHARARA
On his second day in office, President Barack Obama signed an executive order calling for the closure of the infamous detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The prisoners were to be relocated within a year. Alas, four years and one term later — well into the first months of Obama’s second term — the American justice system is still stained by Gitmo.
When it comes to hospitality, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp ranks Motel 6 on the scale, with the American government serving as a shoddy health inspector. Few of the remaining prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have been charged with the crimes they are detained for. In fact, 86 of the 166 prisoners are currently eligible for release or transfer, but have not been granted so by the Obama administration. After the special envoy sent for closing the prison was relieved of his duties, many have taken extreme measures to communicate their frustration and despair. Just recently, the U.S. military sent an influx of medical doctors to the prison in response to the rapidly growing number of prisoners going on hunger strikes. The count is now at 100. Prisoner Sami Naji al Hasan Moqbel, identified as a guard for Osama Bin Laden in 2001, took to the New York Times last month to describe the gruesome conditions and atmosphere of hopelessness present in the prison. “There is no end in sight to our imprisonment,” Moqbel said. “Denying ourselves food and risking death every day is the choice we have made.”
The outlook for Guantanamo prisoners is bleak — a situation that speaks volumes about Obama and Congress. This could very well be an indicator of the president’s overwhelming inconsistency in policy delivery. Obama’s re-election campaign laid out a golden vision of bipartisanship and reconciliation between the two parties in Congress — and it is clear that this is the solution to many of the problems our country faces — so why hasn’t the president held fast to his promises? Why hasn’t he put more pressure on Congress to shape up?
Bringing a divided country together is certainly easier said than done, but it is so blatantly obvious that this is our way out of policy deadlocks. Guantanamo remaining open is a clear demonstration of the impasse American politics and our justice system have reached. And if it isn’t apparent, detaining Gitmo’s prisoners for over 10 years and failing to charge them with any crimes is a gross violation of their individual rights. In order to accomplish his second term goals and set a precedent for future presidents to be successful, Obama needs to show some gall and focus more on leading members of Congress to an area of common ground before tackling specific policy issues. If he fails to do so, his second term will continue down the path it is headed — towards relentless gridlock and more legislative letdowns.
