The Origin and Role of U.S. Human Rights Policy
(Проблемы теории и практики управления) Theoretical and Practical Issues of Management, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 36-43, April 2011
8 Pages Posted: 2 Dec 2011
Date Written: March 1, 2011
Abstract
Although human rights have been a concern for US foreign policymakers since the country’s origins, the contrast between the high principles declared in the Declaration of Independence and the country’s actually military and political weakness typically forced American political leaders into compromises. This pattern only changed after the Second World War, when the US became a global power in the name of anticommunism. In dealing with the United States it is important to understand that US human rights policy has become nearly indistinguishable from US security interests. So long as the United States acts as a global power, human rights will therefore be a predictable component of its foreign policy.
Keywords: Cold War, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Human Rights Policy
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