‘Whose rights are human rights?’ The ambiguous emergence of human rights and the demise of Kissingerism
Journal: Cold War History
Year: 2012

Abstract During the Seventies, human rights moved from the periphery to the center of American foreign policy. This action – I argue in the paper – reflected a double-headed and contradictory interest in human rights. From a liberal perspective, human rights concerns were a criticism about the mistakes of the global containment. By reinforcing morality in foreign policy – liberals argued – the United States could both develop a new foreign policy for a more interdependent and global internationa