William Ratliff

Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Asia Watch behave as though human rights abuses can occur only under right-wing dictators, William Ratliff contends in the following viewpoint. He maintains that this leftist definition of human rights leads activists to approve the arrest of human rights abusers on the right, such as former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, while ignoring the brutal behavior of abusers on the left, such as Cuban leader Fidel Castro. According to Ratliff, the human rights community must break free of this double standard and seek justice for all people, regardless of their political views. Ratliff is a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution, which seeks to improve the human condition and safeguard peace.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does Ratliff believe that Baltasar Garzon could have...