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President Carter's decision to place the issue of human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy made diplomats uneasy but won enduring support from the American public. Even after the electorate turned him out of office, it continued to look with favor upon this particular piece of the Carter legacy. Although the principle of emphasizing human rights was, and remains, popular, Carter also discovered that it is difficult to translate this principle into concrete policy. In the efforts to do so, his administration encountered four crucial dilemmas.
First, should U.S. human rights policy endeavor to transcend the ideological conflict between East and West, or is the struggle for human rights inseparable from the conflict?
Second, how should U.S. policy define "human rights"?
Third, should U.S. policy rely heavily on applying punitive measures--such as cuts in foreign aid--in order to pressure abusive governments into behaving better?
Fourth, should the United States strive for "consistency" in its human rights policy, in the sense of responding with equivalent vigor to equivalent abuses, irrespective of the identity of the transgressing government?
The answers to these questions chosen by the Carter administration determined the particular strengths and weaknesses of its human rights policy.
The Uncertain Crusade presents a penetrating analysis of these questions and answers behind the Carter administration's human rights policy. Author Joshua Muravchik traces the Carter policy from its roots in the 1976 campaign through its major successes and failtures to its lasting legacy. By carefully delineating exactly where the Carter policy went wrong, and specifically recommending different approaches for the future, Muravchik offers a clear road map with which future U.S. administrations will be able to formulate more effective human rights policy.
Joshua Muravchik, who holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from Georgetown University, writes on U.S. politics and foreign policy for a variety of periodicals and newspapers. He is a resident scholar at AEI.
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