The False Narrative On Basic Rights

By Carlos Martinez

The U.S. has made human rights a cen- tral component of its foreign policy since the Jimmy Carter administration（1977-81）. Carter， seeking to improve the international image of the U.S. in the aftermath of the Viet Nam War， criticized human rights abuses and the lack of political freedoms in various U.S.-allied dictatorships， including Chile and Nicaragua. Such criticisms were designed not only to enhance the reputation of the U.S. internationally but also to buttress and give credibility to its ongoing ideological warfare against the socialist world.

Taking up residence in the White House in 1981， Ronald Reagan—a Cold Warrior par excellence—shifted the human rights spotlight away from Americas geostrategic allies and toward its enemies， particularly the Soviet Union. The Soviet Unions refusal to implement a Western-style parliamentary system was painted as the quintessential abuse of human rights， and was used to rally support for the Reagan administrations “full-court press”hybrid warfare against the socialist camp and the Global South. Ironically， this included propping up some of the worlds most violent and repressive regimes， including in apartheid South Africa.

Since then， the conversation on human rights—at least in the West—has been whittled down to the discussion on a specific set of individual political rights. This narrative is framed in such a way that the leading capitalist countries appear as the poster children of human rights； conversely， countries with alternative political models are pariahs.

The current barrage of propaganda about alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region also has a very clear purpose： winning popular approval for the U.S.-led new cold war against China. This war has nothing whatsoever to do with promoting human rights—and certainly nothing to do with the human rights of Muslims， given the role the imperialist powers have played in majority-Muslim countries such as Iraq， Libya， Syria， Afghanistan， Iran， Palestine， Yemen and Somalia. The purpose of the new cold war is， rather， to slow down Chinas rise， to prevent China from becoming a major power； to prevent the emergence of a multipolar system of international relations； to preserve the U.S.-led imperialist system.

When examined through the lens of international law， however， human rights are much broader than the narrow set of issues now framed by the West. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights， adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948， speaks of several different branches of human rights， including the right to live in dignity， freedom of thought， freedom of religion， freedom from discrimination； the right to food security and housing security； and the right to work， education， healthcare， clean water and modern energy.