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Tomorrow, Americans across the country will turn out to elect the next leader of these United States. Sadly, it looks like Barack Obama or John McCain will be that leader.
Whoever is unfortunate enough to win this election faces an uphill battle on nearly every front. With a failing economy and our involvement in two wars, our next president has a lot on his plate. I hope he doesn't ignore one of the greatest threats to our foreign relations and to the spirit of America: the abuses of the "War on Terror."
Bush used his surge of support after the attacks of 9/11 to back his new "War on Terror," a war that was supposed to protect the United States and the principles for which it stands. But in the name of protecting us, the U.S. government has subjected individuals to torture, has illegally and indefinitely detained hundreds and employed security companies who face almost no accountability for their numerous human rights abuses.
Consider the case of Sanad al-Kazimi, a Yemeni national. After being captured by the United Arab Emirates in January 2003 and subjected to months of various forms of torture, he was transferred to the U.S.-run "Prison of Darkness" in Kabul, Afghanistan. There he was subjected to physical and psychological torture so distressing that he tried to commit suicide three times by ramming his head into a wall. In September 2004 he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay. There he is confined for 22 to 23 hours a day in an individual cell, completely cut off from human contact, fresh air or sunlight. He is subjected to 24-hour lighting and often only allowed outside during the night, not seeing daylight for days at a time. He has been subjected to this for more than four years.
It would be one thing if this treatment was punishment sentenced after having his day in court. But he has never been tried or even charged with a crime.
This is hardly the America I believe in. My America respects the legal and human rights of individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, and even crime. My America doesn't sacrifice principle for safety.
These abuses not only ignore the values of the citizens of this country, but also hurt us internationally. The black mark of Guantanamo has strained our relationships with our traditional allies. Despite the fact that immediately after 9/11 America had the support of people across the globe, our response to the greatest attack on American soil has left us with few friends. Along with our friendships and the respect of individuals around the world, our abuses have lost us the moral high ground. It is hard to criticize the human rights records of our rivals and the "axis of evil" when our own reputation has suffered so much during this presidency.
There has been a lot of talk by both candidates about "change" during this campaign. Let us hope our next president is willing to bring change to the "War on Terror" and end the abuses in our name.
Travis Schulze can be reached at schulze.43@osu.edu.
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