ABSTRACT
Amid a general discontent with the policies of the Bush Administration, Obama campaigned on a theme of “change.” Obama hoped to discredit Bush’s controversial foreign policy positions with regard to human rights. Many in the human rights community celebrated the incoming president and expected a reversal of the Bush policies regarding human rights. However, evidence indicates that the Obama Administration, similar to previous administrations, subordinated U.S. human rights policy to security matters. Despite the promise of change, Obama continued and adapted George W. Bush’s counterterrorism operations to include a drone program that accepted civilian deaths as collateral damage in allegedly targeted strikes.
