Human Rights and the War on Terror: United States Foreign Policy: Liberty and Security?

Prior to September 11, 2001, the United States had the reputation of being a leader in the field of human rights. As information of torture and abuse in Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay, and secret CIA detention centers has surfaced, however, the image of America has changed from human rights champion to that of violator. In large part, the international community of scholars and activists has come to deride the foreign policy of the United States as misguided and out of balance with the threats the country faces. However, there are also plenty of outspoken defenders who believe that the tactics chosen in this fight against terror are necessary and proportionate to such threats. Human rights and homeland security need not be mutually exclusive; indeed, they are necessarily congruent to one another. This bibliography highlights some of the most important issues at the nexus of the “War on Terrorism” and human rights as they pertain to the United States’ foreign policy. It does so by addressing the issues of war, detainees, torture, military tribunals, the spread of democracy and global governance, defining terrorism, and other facets of the complex relationship between security and liberty