U.S. Is seen Losing Its Moral Authority

Many diplomats, academics, and human rights groups claim that recent American policies and blunders have “eroded the moral leadership that Washington has pursued without embarrassment for years.” Citing the Iraq war, prisoner detention at Guantánamo Bay, the promulgation of the Patriot Act, and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, critics charge that America’s newly tarnished image has harmed its diplomatic leverage. On one end of the political spectrum, human rights advocates have become increasingly dismayed at American actions, resulting in failure on the part of the United States to secure extended judicial immunity for US troops in Iraq. On the other hand, chronic human rights abusers have referred to recent American policies, including the Patriot Act, to justify their own detention of political opponents. Despite these setbacks, however, some US officials optimistically cite the transparency and self-criticism of the American system as a means of rectifying past wrongs and restoring America’s international image. – YaleGlobal