Monday, April 24, 2006
Former gulag prisoner asked to exaggerate re: Guantanamo-Washington Post
Amnesty International asked Paul Litvinov to stretch a comparison in order to help the situation of Guantanamo detainees. It is exactly this polarized, extremist mindset that is NOT good for this controversy/situation. Unecessary coddling of prisoners may make activists feel better about their level of cultural sensitivity, but it also considerably weakens our position if we ever want to make a point in the future.
So many reasons for the government to start following strict protocol.
There is ample reason for Amnesty to be critical of certain U.S. actions. But by using hyperbole and muddling the difference between repressive regimes and the imperfections of democracy*, Amnesty's spokesmen put its authority at risk. U.S. human rights violations seem almost trifling in comparison* with those committed by Cuba, South Korea, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.
The most effective way to criticize U.S. behavior is to frankly acknowledge that this country should be held to a higher standard based on its own Constitution, laws and traditions. We cannot fulfill our responsibilities as the world's only superpower without being perceived as a moral authority. Despite the risks posed by terrorism, the United States cannot indefinitely detain people considered dangerous without appropriate safeguards for their conditions of detention and periodic review of their status.
So many reasons for the government to start following strict protocol.
*italics added
