In Our Own Best Interest: How Defending Human Rights Benefits All Americans (Hardcover)

I think William F. Schulz would agree with me, and I venture a guess that such an argument convinced him to write this book. It is a well-researched and clearly written exposition of the ways that it truly is in our own best interest to care about human rights. He shows that political "realists" who believe that a country cannot afford to make human rights a priority when forming and implementing foreign policy are, despite their hard-nosed and pragmatic appearance, naive to believe that human rights don't matter.

For instance. Working democracies very, very rarely go to war with other working democracies. Thus it is in the best interest of the US to promote democracy across the world, and thus make stable allies. Of course, the definition of "working democracy" has to do with human rights -- democracy in itself is fundamentally based on a respect for each individual's voice and decision-making power, and where this is not respected (as in Milosevich's Yugoslavia) the stability does not exist.

For instance. As globalization races across the planet, political stability in a country is a vital element in a solid investment choice. The 3 basic factors that enhance political stability -- lack of corruption in government, rule of law, and feedback loops (freedom of press, independent investigation, etc.) are all intimately tied to human rights issues. Countries that abuse human rights are notoriously unstable. And instability scares away investors.

For instance. Crowded and unsanitary prison conditions are breeding grounds for disease. And in a world that gets ever smaller due to the ease of intercontinental travel, a super-strain of tuberculosis developed in a prison cell in China can easily have reached the other end of the world -- that's us in America -- in no time at all.

For instance. Torture not only provides unreliable information, it hardens whole communities againt their oppressors. To torture one terrorist may provide you with the names of five others, but likely motivates fifty others to become terrorists. And in a world as interconnected as ours is, where they will strike out has become wildly unpredictable.

And the instances continue. Schulz makes an incredibly convincing argument that we can no longer "let well enough alone". There are no isolated places, no isolated incidences in the world anymore, and it is indeed naive to think that such destructive forces as human rights abuses will have no effect on us. James the brother of Jesus tells us that if we know what good we ought to do and do not do it, we sin. And if that is not motivation enough, it is in our own best interest.

Aside from the first chapter, the tempo builds, although it is not for the very squeamish. The litany of abuses is interspersed with detailed descriptions of individual experiences, and usually prefaces and followed by comments on the economic impact. Some examples were familiar to me, most were not. It is too easy to get lost in the stories and forget the main point that all life on this planet is interdependent, but there are enough reminders for the intelligent and attentive. (Of course GW5-4B will not read it!) The volume of references is impressive.

The issues balance in geography and American participation is difficult to judge. He fairly presents cases in which the United States is culprit and hero, but he slights the role of Arab regimes.