Freedom on fire : human rights wars and America's response / John Shattuck.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shattuck, John H. F.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human rights.

Human rights--Government policy--United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (400 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Shattuck was the chief human rights official of the Clinton Administration. This is the story of the struggle that went on inside the US government over how to respond to far-flung challenges such as genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia, and brutal ethnic wars and failed states in other parts of the world.

As the chief human rights official of the Clinton Administration, John Shattuck faced far-flung challenges. Disasters were exploding simultaneously--genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia, murder and atrocities in Haiti, repression in China, brutal ethnic wars, and failed states in other parts of the world. But America was mired in conflicting priorities and was reluctant to act. What were Shattuck and his allies to do? This is the story of their struggle inside the U.S. government over how to respond. Shattuck tells what was tried and what was learned as he and other human rights hawks worked to change the Clinton Administration's human rights policy from disengagement to saving lives and bringing war criminals to justice. He records his frustrations and disappointments, as well as the successes achieved in moving human rights to the center of U.S. foreign policy. Shattuck was at the heart of the action. He was the first official to interview the survivors of Srebrenica. He confronted Milosevic in Belgrade. He was a key player in bringing the leaders of genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda to justice. He pushed from the inside for an American response to the crisis of the Haitian boat people. He pressed for the release of political prisoners in China. His book is both an insider's account and a detailed prescription for preventing such wars in the future. Shattuck criticizes the Bush Administration's approach, which he says undermines human rights at home and around the world. He argues that human rights wars are breeding grounds for terrorism. Freedom on Fire describes the shifting challenges of global leadership in a world of explosive hatreds and deepening inequalities.

Contents:

Introduction 1. Rwanda: The Genocide That Might Have Been Prevented 2. Rwanda: The Struggle for Justice 3. Haiti: A Tale of Two Presidents 4. Bosnia: The Pariah Problem 5. Bosnia: Facing Reality 6. Bosnia and Kosovo: Breaking the Cycle 7. The China Syndrome 8. China: Collision Course 9. Strategies for Peace Chronology State Department Organizational Chart Notes Acknowledgments Index

Notes:

Originally published: 2003.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780674043480

0674043480

OCLC:

1243310449