INTERVIEWED by German reporters this month, President Barack Obama was asked whether his failure to close the Guantánamo Bay prison camp, or his drone strikes against terror suspects, marked his presidency’s “darkest moment”. It was a very European question, of the sort that leaves many American politicians spluttering with impatience. Mr Obama offered a downbeat reply. He expressed pride at ending all use of torture and reducing Guantánamo’s population to 60 detainees. He boasted of creating terror-fighting rules that are “much more disciplined and consistent with the rule of law and international norms”—including the obligation to minimise casualties when using drones, while still allowing strikes in countries unable to capture terrorists. He did not boast of leaving Donald Trump a solid legal foundation for using force against Islamic State (IS), because he cannot. Pondering the dilemmas of terrorist-fighting, Mr Obama mused aloud: “How do we make sure that we don’t change, even as we protect our people?” He did not answer his own question.
Such ambiguities alarm those who remember the last time America was accused of being a rogue...Continue reading
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