PRESIDENT-elect Barack Obama has a tall order. He plans to regain “America’s moral stature in the world” with one of the first things on his “to do list” being the closure of Guantanamo Bay and an end to military torture. Moreover, over the years he has condemned America’s entry into Iraq and advocated a swift withdrawal of US troops.

These moves can’t come soon enough but, first, he must resist pressure from the old guard and the more hawkish of his advisers to tread with caution. This new broom needs not only to sweep clean but should also be liberal in the use of strong disinfectant before we can even begin to forgive the infringements of human rights perpetrated by his predecessor.

If he wants to win the trust of the international community, half measures will not do. Just as George W. Bush didn’t play it safe when strategizing his negatively earth-shattering policies inspired by neoconservative dogma, Obama must be similarly bold when gluing the pieces back together.

Proceeding on a right path should include investigating the lies and manipulations that led to Baghdad, the rape of Iraq’s historical heritage, the use of depleted uranium/cluster bombs/white phosphorous, the vanished billions in cash and the no-bid buddy contracts that were doled out to friends of the administration. All those involved in this heist of all heists that cost so many Iraqi and American lives and limbs should be held publicly accountable, no matter what rank or status they might hold. Obama should not be afraid to call the last eight years an aberration fueled by will to power and greed that should never be repeated.

FURTHERMORE, he will need to do a lot more than ban torture and close the book on Iraq if he truly wants his nation to be internationally respected as the beacon of light it once was.

First, he should discard the ridiculous, meaningless term “war on terror” as well as the policies that derive from it that have engendered militant extremism rather than eradicating it. Instead, he should study terrorism’s roots and how best to defuse anti-American/anti-Western sentiment through dialogue and cultural exchange. He can start by ordering his border guards to behave respectfully to all visitors to the US including those with Muslim names.

Most important, he should investigate the real gripes that terrorists mercilessly misuse to recruit adherents and work toward solving genuine injustices; in particular, the 60-year Israel-Palestine conflict that is crying out for honest mediation. If he can’t or won’t, then he should stand back while empowering the region to take a more proactive approach to its own problems. He should somehow be made to understand that this area will never be peaceful until Israel and the world stops humiliating the Palestinians and allows them the same rights most of us enjoy.

Secondly, he should mend fences with Russia by canceling the missile shield due to be erected in Poland and the Czech Republic that is causing so much consternation in Moscow. The US-Russian relationship needs to be urgently rewound else the two countries risk reverting to the enemies they once were. Unfortunately, the prognosis on this doesn’t look good as Obama has indicated that he not only plans to go ahead with the shield he is also supportive of Georgia’s NATO aspirations as well as the organization’s general expansion up to Russian borders.

Third, he needs to make good on his promises to talk to America’s foes without preconditions. Earlier this year, he advocated face-to-face diplomacy between the US and Cuba while vowing to lift restrictions on travel to the island. He has also displayed a willingness to meet with the Cuban President Raul Castro. On Venezuela, he has been less conciliatory. Nevertheless the colorful Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, who once likened George W. Bush to the devil, is gleeful that Obama has won, saying “Hopefully, with Obama we will enter a new phase”.

Apart from Obama’s stance vis-à-vis Russia, so far so good. However, four major challenges remain:

1. How should he approach Iran, which insists on its right to enrich uranium and is perceived by Israel as an existential threat?

2. How should he go about succeeding in Afghanistan where a war that has been pronounced by military high-ups and diplomats on the ground as no winnable is still raging?

3. Should he ride roughshod over Pakistan’s sovereignty in search of Al-Qaeda and Taleban, a course he has previously promoted?

4. What should he do to prevent more blood being spilled in Darfur and the Congo?

All are sensitive and highly volatile issues. Together they will become a testing ground for Obama’s wish to regain America’s moral stature. If he works with friendly nations, treats others, less friendly with dignity, and is prepared to sit at a table with foes, then he may succeed. If, however, he adheres to a policy of US exceptionalism, whereby the US has almost a divine right to its role as global policeman, America’s moral compass will remain off track. Rarely has one man been so burdened with the hopes of so many. Billions across the planet pray he’s up to the task.