Daphne Eviatar, a lawyer and journalist, on why shutting down Guantanamo is only the first step in restoring the rule of law in the United States. The U.S. military base at Bagram in Afghanistan is another black hole, some say with a worse history of abuse and torture, and the United States has plans to open a new prison in Afghanistan—the country Barack Obama has called the US’s central front on the war on terror. Indeed, the Washington Post reports today that, "The Army is building $1.1 billion worth of military bases and other facilities in Afghanistan and is planning to start an additional $1.3 billion in projects this year, according to Col. Thomas E. O'Donovan, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan District." The post notes that this,  "signals a long-term U.S. military commitment at a time when the incoming Obama administration's policy for the Afghan war is unclear."

There are approximately 250 detainees at Guantanamo and an estimated 670 at Bagram. And, according to a report in Time Magazine, "the U.S. military is building a new prison for what it calls "unlawful enemy combatants" at Bagram that won't be finished until Obama is well settled in the White House."