It has become routine for the U.S. government to invoke human rights to justify its foreign policy decisions and military ventures. But this human rights talk has not been supported by a human rights walk. Policymakers consistently apply a double standard for human rights norms: one the rest of the world must observe, but which the U.S. can safely ignore.
Julie Mertus, a leading humans rights expert, argues that talk of human rights has become the political equivalent of a bait and switch. Like the car salesman promoting an amazing, but bogus deal in order to get people into the showroom, politicians promise human rights to gain support for their policies, then offer a substitute unreflective of a genuine concern for rights.
Based on extensive interviews with leading foreign policymakers, military officials, and human rights advocates, Mertus tells the story of how America's attempts to promote human rights abroad have, paradoxically, undermined those rights in other countries.
Challenging and powerful "Bait and Switch" is essential reading for anyone interested in human rights, U.S. foreign policy, the changing role of the military and the efforts of NGOs to promote change.
Winner of the American Political Science Association's 2004 Best Book on Human Rights.
It has become routine for the U.S. government to invoke human rights to justify its foreign policy decisions and military ventures. But this human rights talk has not been supported by a human rights walk. Policymakers consistently apply a double standard for human rights norms: one the rest of the world must observe, but which the U.S. can safely ignore.
Based on extensive interviews with leading foreign policymakers, military officials, and human rights advocates, Mertus tells the story of how America's attempts to promote human rights abroad have, paradoxically, undermined those rights in other countries. The second edition brings the story up to date, including new sections on the second half of the Bush administration and the Iraq War, and updates on Afghanistan.
The first edition of Bait and Switch won the American Political Science Association's 2005 Best Book on Human Rights.
