It would appear the US is attempting to repair their image to the world. Admitting that your country has tortured prisoners without actually admitting it. This is clever politics. Tax dollars could be wasted on investigations into alleged torture on prisoners, or you could just ban torture completely without actually having to admit the tortures took place.
“We’ve sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists. We have no grief for them, but what we are is a nation that upholds values and standards of behavior and treatment of all people, no matter how evil or bad they are,” McCain said. “I think that this will help us enormously in winning the war for the hearts and minds of people throughout the world in the war on terror.”
It’s going to take a lot more than this to win my heart and mind on the war of terror, but at least they have started to realize how bad the world’s perception of the United States has become in recent years. Repairing their image should be a major priority and a long-term negative effect on the US economy is one of the outcomes of having a bad image.