As the United States prepares to take the war on terrorism to Saddam Hussein's doorstep, the Bush administration has repeatedly called attention to human rights violations in Iraq. The Iraqi regime, President Bush tells us, has engaged in torture and extra-judicial killing and keeps the Iraqi people from enjoying basic civic and political freedoms. Not once, however, has the President suggested that these problems might be addressed through the UN human rights treaty system - a system through which Iraq has committed to abide by the very principles it is accused of violating.
As the United States prepares to take the war on terrorism to Saddam Hussein's doorstep, the Bush administration has repeatedly called attention to human rights violations in Iraq. The Iraqi regime, President Bush tells us, has engaged in torture and extra-judicial killing and keeps the Iraqi people from enjoying basic civic and political freedoms. Not once, however, has the President suggested that these problems might be addressed through the UN human rights treaty system - a system through which Iraq has committed to abide by the very principles it is accused of violating.