What they’re saying about US Guantanamo U-turn

When Barack Obama came to power in 2009 one of his first acts as president was to announce the closure of the US detention base at Guantanamo Bay and  his intention to deal with terrorists using civilian law.

But on Monday he went back on that pledge and announced that the military trials of Guantanamo Bay detainees would get underway once again after a two-year freeze. He also signed an executive order to begin the process of legalising the current practice on Guantanamo of holding detainees indefinitely without charge.

The U-turn has angered civil rights campaigners in the US, but the President has tried to sweeten the pill by insisting that Guantanamo Bay will one day be closed, and by stating that he believes terror suspects should still be tried in federal civilian courts.

However, perhaps the most notorious of the detainees is unlikely to be afforded that privilege. Plans to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man believed to be the ringleader of the 9/11 attacks, in a New York court caused outrage and his case is now likely to be dealt with by a military tribunal.

Obama's decision has been surprisingly well-received in the US media, with many applauding his decision.

Writing in the Guardian, Ken Gude points out that losing control of Congress had undermined Obama's chances of getting the camp closed down swiftly and noted that "the American people's justifiable concerns about terrorism have been manipulated by opportunistic politicians into outright paranoia at the prospect of prosecuting Guantanamo detainees in criminal courts and incarcerating them in US maximum security prisons".

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:Mark Mardell, BBC North America editor: "It is hard to disguise the fact that Mr Obama's lofty ambitions have been in a two-year-long collision with the mood of the country - or at least that of the vocal politicians who say they represent America."

Ken Gude, from the think tank The American Progress Action Fund, writing in the Guardian: "There are items to disagree with in these moves, but the Obama administration is trying to force its way back into this debate – and that is a positive sign and should be supported because the alternatives are significantly worse."

Editorial, New York Daily News: "Yesterday, President Obama proved it is never too late to do the right thing. More than two years after he made a pledge to shutter the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, nearly 18 months after Attorney General Eric Holder announced senseless plans to bring the 9/11 mastermind to trial in Manhattan Federal Court, the administration relented. Military tribunals will begin again at Guantanamo Bay."

Anthony D Romero, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union: "The detention of Guantanamo detainees for nine years without charge or trial is a stain on America's reputation that should be ended immediately, not given a stamp of approval. Moreover, the procedures for providing more process are flawed as they vest too much discretion and power in the Secretary of Defense, essentially asking the fox to guard the hen house."

Dana Milbank, Washington Post: "In a sense, Monday's announcement was an acknowledgment that Obama had set expectations unrealistically high during the campaign and early in his term."

Editorial, Wall Street Journal: "The political left is enraged by what it claims is a betrayal, but we're glad to see Mr Obama bowing to security reality and erring on the side of keeping the country safe... The responsibilities of power, and the realities of a dangerous world, tend to be educational." ·