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Article: The road to Abu Ghraib: how the United States played a large role in creating international human rights--and then abandoning them.(Human Rights)
- Article from:
- The American Prospect
- Article date:
- October 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The American Prospect, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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FROM THE LAST, BEST HOPE OF earth to Abu Ghraib: What has happened to the vision of America as the land of justice? In countless ways, at home and in the world, this country has abandoned its commitment to the protection of human rights.
The change is all the more stark because Americans played such a large part in creating the very concept of international human rights. The United States Congress, 30 years ago, began demanding that countries receiving U.S. aid live up to basic standards of humanity. Private organizations such as Human Rights Watch highlighted the repressive cruelties of regimes from the Soviet Union to Latin dictatorships. American ...