Synopses & Reviews
Have human rights as we once understood them become obsolete since 9-11? Aren't new methods needed to combat the apocalyptic violence of al-Qaeda? Shouldn't we sacrifice some rights to make us all safer? And if we can kill a combatant in battle, why shouldn't we torture them if it will save lives? William Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, examines these and other fundamental questions through the prism of our new consciousness about terrorism in this provocative new book. It questions America's own ambivalent recordits tainted legacyand addresses recent human rights violations: the imprisonment without charge of non-citizens and the violation of the Geneva Convention at Guantanamo Bay. Schulz writes, "One of Osama bin Laden's goals is to destroy the solidarity of the international community and undermine the norms and standards that have sustained that community since the end of World War II. The great irony of the post-9/11 world is that, when it comes to human rights, the United States has been doing his work for him."
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-235) and index.
Table of Contents
"I don't ever want to speak English again" -- "Terrorists are the fish; the people are the sea": The demystification of terrorism -- "Let them hate as long as they fear" : History and hubris -- The haunting of America (I) : How countenancing human rights violations overseas does us damage here at home -- The haunting of America (II) : How committing human rights violations here at home does us damage overseas -- What makes rights "right?" : The origin of human rights and the challenge of universality -- When wickedness is in fashion : National sovereignty and international justice -- The ticklish case of a ticking bomb : is torture ever justified? -- Striking the rights balance : security, liberty, and the challenge of a new world -- Sitting on our bayonets : the role of human rights in the struggle against terrorism.