Obama's counter-terrorist policies: plus ça change...?

During an interview on 60 Minutes last night President-elect Barack Obama said he plans to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay and rebuild the nation's moral stature. The Associated Press is reporting that Obama advisers are crafting a plan that would set some prisoners free while others would be sent to trial in criminal courts in the United States.

The toD verdict: "I intend to close Guantanamo," Obama said, "and I will follow through on that. I have said repeatedly that America doesn't torture, and I'm going to make sure that we don't torture." Worldwide, many will greet these comments as a very positive break from the policies of George W. Bush.

Upon closer investigation, however, the proposals suggest that celebrations are premature. Under the Obama camp's plan, a third group of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay would be placed in front of a new court system designed to handle so-called "national security" cases. According to Michael Ratner this more negative side to these proposals represents the continuation of a preventive detention scheme, "when you are put into a prison without being charged with a crime and without having a trial on that charge." This amounts to a re-wrapping of Guantanamo in legal paper to make it more palatable.Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.

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Meanwhile, John Brennan and Jami Miscik are leading Barack Obama's review of intelligence agencies and helping make recommendations to the new administration. Brennan supported warrantless wiretapping and extraordinary rendition, and Miscik was involved with the politicized intelligence alleging weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to the war on Iraq. According to insiders, most of the candidates for director of national intelligence and director of the CIA are midway between safeguarding civil liberties and the untrammeled pursuit of nontraditional adversaries.

Both of these developments suggest that counter-terrorism and intelligence policies under Obama will not be as radically different to that of his predecessors as many have predicted and hoped.

Hijacked oil tanker approaches Somalia

A giant Saudi oil tanker seized off the coast of Kenya is nearing an anchorage point at Eyl today, according to the US Fifth Fleet. Pirates seized the supertanker on Saturday. Three times the size of an aircraft carrier, the Sirius Star is the largest tanker ever to be hijacked. Moreover the ship was carrying 2m barrels of oil, worth more than $100m. According to commentators this is the first loaded oil tanker to be seized by pirates. Its international crew of 25 is said to be safe. The ship is expected to anchor at the port of Eyl, often used by pirates based in Somalia, so that negotiations can begin on the release of the vessel and its crew. Regional pirates have launched a string of increasingly regular and brazen attacks off the coast of East Africa and the Gulf of Aden in recent months. Hijackings in this area make up one-third of all global piracy incidents this year, according the International Maritime Bureau. This latest hijacking highlights the difficulties facing a multi-national naval task force sent to the region earlier this year specifically to deal with the problem of Somali piracy.

Sri Lankan military sinks two rebel boats

Sri Lankan naval forces sunk two Tamil-Tiger boats and killed six rebel sailors Tuesday. The naval battle erupted in Nayaru Lagoon on Sri Lanka's northeast coast when Sri Lankan forces, backed by helicopter gunships attacked seven rebel ships. Elsewhere, the Sri Lankan military continued its intense offensive against the rebels' de facto state in the north. Military sources claim that airstrikes attacked rebel gathering points in Kilinochchi district early Tuesday. Meanwhile, ground battles were being fought in the Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi fronts. Government forces have captured large swathes of formerly Tamil Tiger-held territory leading some to conclude an end in sight to the island's long civil war.

Doctor admits he is "a terrorist"

An NHS doctor has admitted that according to English law, he is a terrorist. On trial for attempted car bombings in London and at Glasgow Airport in 2007, Bilal Adbulla told the court that "by the definition of the [Terrorism] Act...yes. That is my aim to change opinion using violence, using fire devices." He is alleged to have crashed into the airport in a Jeep laden with petrol and gas canisters but denied that he wanted to kill or injure anyone. The defence claims that Dr Abdulla and co-conspirator Kafeel Ahmed wanted to highlight the plight of people in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I am told I am a terrorist," he said, "but is your government not a terrorist, is your army not a terrorist?"

Israeli tanks move into Gaza

Israel launched a military incursion into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, clashing with Palestinian militants. Tanks backed by a bulldozer and military jeeps pushed up to a quarter-mile into Gaza. Residents claim they leveled structures along the border east of the city of Rafah. The incursion is the latest violence to chip away at a tenuous cease-fire agreed between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas last July. After nearly five months of relative quiet, the ceasefire has been under serious strain since early November; at least 17 Palestinian militants have been killed and more than 140 rockets and mortars fired at Israel. As a result of militants firing six rockets on Monday, Israel said today that it will keep all border crossings with the Gaza Strip closed in spite of calls from the United Nations and European Union urging it to ease the blockade. Israel allowed a humanitarian aid convoy of 33 trucks into Gaza on Monday but the United Nations fears supplies will soon run out. "The supplies will last days, not weeks," said UN Works and Relief Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Chris Gunness.

Taliban rejects offer of peace talks

Taliban militants rejected peace talks with the Afghan government on Monday. President Hamid Karzai offered peace talks on Sunday, claiming he would go to "any lengths" to provide security for the Taliban's leader Mullah Omar if the offer was accepted. Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi said that the offer was pointless considering "the real power in Afghanistan does not rest with Karzai." The Taliban have concluded that there can be no peace talks until foreign troops leave Afghanistan. This is not the first time the Afghan president has advocated reaching out to the Taliban as part of a political settlement. Neither is this the first time his calls have been rejected.

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