Guantanamo: the end?

Since being elected in November last year, the pressure has gone on Barack Obama to put his money where his mouth is on change, and signal the US's change of direction by closing the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. And now, it looks like he is actually going to do it:

President-elect Barack Obama is to issue an order to close the Guantánamo detention centre in his first week in office, according to his advisers.

Obama, who takes over the presidency next Tuesday, will make closure one of his first decisions, two of his advisers told the AP news agency.

The logistics of closure will undoubtedly take a while, but the important thing is to signal a quick end to the current policy of lawless detention and kangaroo courts, and a return to civilised (or alternatively, American) values. The US's court system and its commitment to the principle that everyone deserves a fair trial is one of its great achievements, and it will be good to see America living by its values again.