Human Rights Watch Faults US For Supporting Dictators

Washington Post:

A leading human rights group said Thursday that the United States has lost its moral authority by supporting autocratic governments in strategic countries despite their continuing violations of civil liberties.

Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group, has used its past 17 annual surveys to highlight the most egregious humanitarian crises in the world and to note improvements when warranted. The latest report marks a break with that tradition by focusing on democracy and the ways in which U.S. influence have affected other countries' pursuit of it.

The group delivers a harsh critique of the Bush administration, suggesting that by accommodating autocratic allies in the fight against terrorism, it has failed to meet its declared goal of promoting democratic values.

In an introductory essay titled "Despots Masquerading as Democrats," Kenneth Roth, the organization's executive director, blasts such leaders as Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and Vladimir Putin of Russia. Roth accuses them of finding "utility in holding electoral charades to legitimize" their reigns.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[MartinEdwinAndersen]

Hillary Clinton, under fire about her commitment to civil rights for her campaign's race coding, has lately been loudly proclaiming her fealty to the Democratic Party's best traditions on human rights.

However, just two years ago, Hillary--the purported "expert" on international relations--said there should be "lawful authority" for torture in some cases.

(See, for example, www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0907/Hillary_and_torture_audio_version.html )

Her stand was opposite to that of every other major Democratic presidential candidate in 2007-2008, and the heat she took for it caused her to make one of her famous "flip flops."

[Norge]

That is a connection which we have know for years.

see: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com

[CarlyCorday]

But by all reports, President Bush is more convinced than ever of his righteousness.

Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him nearly wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated “I am the president!” He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of “our country’s destiny.”

Georgie Anne Geyer
Dallas Morning News
May, 2007

Backup:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/01/big-money-players-up-from-texas-visit-bush/

[CarlyCorday]

"Human Rights Watch Faults U.S. For Supporting Dictators"

It's about frickin' time.

And why is it not headline news the world over that Canada has "the U.S." on its list of just 3 countries for its diplomats to beware of because torture is permitted?