One can safely say that as of today, the United States does not torture.  President Obama signed three executive orders which set into motion the closing of Guantanamo Bay detention facility within a year and the end of torture as an interrogation techniques.  The president stated, “The message that we are sending the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism…And we are going to do so vigilantly, and we are going to do so effectively, and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals.”

Fulfilling his campaign promise, President Obama is trying to regain America’s moral high ground that was lost over the last eight years.  Besides being a violation of international law and several international treaties, the use of torture is often detrimental to prisoners of war who are in turn treated poorly in retaliation of said abuses.  During the Bush administration, America’s standing in the world suffered greatly whether it was the invasion of Iraq, Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, waterboarding, and so on.  Reversing policies of the previous administration, the Obama administration is now trying to mend bridges and rejoin the international community.

Obama says U.S. ‘will not torture’

Obama’s Gitmo orders prompt terror debate