ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the efforts of organized interest groups which attempt to promote the protection of human rights, including international nongovernmental organizations; national nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) concerned with international human rights and centered in Washington, D.C.; and some expatriate or ethnic groups. It discusses the historical background of US human rights policy with some emphasis on the minor role of NGOs. The chapter explains some of the reasons for anticipating that interest groups may have a somewhat greater role in shaping US policy. It describes the role of international nongovernmental organizations in implementing human rights through independent measures and through US government action. The chapter analyzes the characteristics, techniques, and effectiveness of national human rights NGOs. Human rights interest groups lack a sufficient constituency to force the administration and Congress to listen. International nongovernmental organizations have an important role in the protection of human rights, quite apart from the efforts of governments to implement human rights principles.
