ABSTRACT
With acquiescence of Congress, President Bush issued a series of executive orders, introduced several pieces of legislation, and issued exemptions that, in effect, victimized human rights guarantees, both domestically and internationally. U.S. human rights policy was now the calculated victim of George W. Bush’s war on terrorism. The events of 9/11 changed both the public’s and Congress’ attitude toward requiring human rights standards when supplying repressive governments with economic and military aid. Revelations of torture and prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib and CIA black sites, along with the recognition that grave human rights abusing countries were among the main recipients of U.S. foreign assistance, opened debates about the role that human rights should play in shaping American foreign policy and the war on terror.
