Rosa Brooks: Our Human Rights Hypocrisy (LA Times, via CommonDreams)

[marmar]

Published on Friday, March 9, 2007 by The Los Angeles Times
Our Human Rights Hypocrisy
by Rosa Brooks

On Tuesday — to ritualized hoots of derision from around the globe — the U.S. Department of State released its 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The annual reports detail "the status of internationally recognized human rights" in virtually every country in the world — except, of course, the U.S. itself.

At first glance, this year's reports contain few surprises. The State Department laments the genocide in Darfur, notes that Russia has experienced a "further erosion of government accountability" and reminds us that Cuba denies its citizens "the fundamental right to change their government peacefully." The reports also document rights abuses in China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea — in fact, pretty much all over the place. Even tiny Monaco is rebuked for denying its citizens "the right to change their government or denounce the royal family."

Although the State Department announces the annual reports with fanfare, the rest of the world rarely responds with enthusiasm. This year is no exception. China, a perennial target, declared that "the United States has lorded it over other countries by condemning other countries' human rights practices while ignoring its own problems." Other foreign commentators also complained about U.S. hypocrisy. After Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, Haditha and other highly publicized human rights controversies, they wondered, where does the U.S. get off casting stones at others?

There's nothing inherently sinister about the State Department's failure to include a chapter on U.S. human rights abuses in the reports. Originally intended for internal government consumption, the reports were designed to help Congress determine which lucky nations would receive foreign aid. (Back in the day, Congress had a quaint tradition of insisting that the U.S. not provide security assistance to foreign governments responsible for "gross violations" of human rights.) Because — by definition — the U.S. doesn't provide foreign aid to itself, there was traditionally no reason for the reports to detail U.S. human rights lapses.

But over the years, the country reports have evolved far beyond their original purpose, becoming a high-visibility part of U.S. public diplomacy. As a result, they're inevitably scrutinized with care, both for what they say and what they don't say. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0309-20.htm