Michael Breen, president
and CEO of Human Rights
First, spoke at the Ford School
of Public Policy Thursday as
part of a series of lectures
sponsored
by
the
Josh
Rosenthal
Education
Fund.
Breen discussed violations of
human rights across the world
and
the
challenges
facing
advocates.
The fund was established
in honor of Josh Rosenthal,
who died on Sept. 11, 2001, by
his mother, a long-time faculty
member at the University of
Michigan. She aimed to bring
insightful discussion around
the aftermath of 9/11 and its
consequences on human rights.
Breen
shared
personal
narratives
about
his
own
experience as a U.S. Army
officer serving in Iraq post-
9/11. During his service, he was
responsible for detaining Iraqi
bomb makers. Breen said he sat
down with their families prior
to arresting their loved ones.
“I remember saying, ‘We
are different from the soldiers
who might’ve been here six
months ago under the previous
regime,’” Breen said. “We’re
Americans, we don’t torture
people.”
After
he
learned
about
Americans torturing detainees
at the Abu Ghraib prison in
Iraq, he decided to leave the
military, enroll in law school
and tackle refugee and human
rights
issues
head-on.
He
became involved in Human
Rights First, an organization
that had support from the most
senior-form military leaders
who stood against torture.
He explained the United
States played a prominent role
in the human rights movement
post-Cold War and World War
II. The United States became
a pioneer for human rights, as
well as a national example for
other democracies to follow
and activists to rely on for
support.
“The degree of freedom,
the
upwards
trajectory,
hard-fought as it was, made
it reasonable for the human
rights movement to champion
American leadership and wise
for it to leverage it on behalf of
human rights activists in other
countries,” Breen said.
The
United
States
was
able to use its human rights
initiatives
to
differentiate
itself from the Soviet Union
and other world leaders during
times of political strife and
decolonization, according to
Breen.
“In the context of the
Cold War, it was clear that
championing
human
rights
was both the right thing and
the smart thing to do — an
ethical as well as a strategic
imperative,” Breen said.
Breen
referenced
the
Helsinki Accords — a pivotal
human
rights
pact
signed in the 1970s — as
a document that fought
against suppression and
coercion
and
protected
notions of human rights
to promote peace around
the world. He also noted,
though, that the end of the
Cold War did not translate
to the progress of human
rights that was envisioned.
“Many forces and tools
that
we
once
believed
would inevitably favor the
advancement
of
human
rights turned out to be
double-edged
swords,”
Breen said. “It was widely
believed, for example, that
economic growth would
lead
to
democratization
and a call for more rights.
The reality, unfortunately,
is that some autocrats have
succeeded in linking their
rule to economic gains and
security.”
Breen used China as an
example of a government
that
has
succeeded
in
convincing its people that
economic growth relies on the
health of the Communist Party
and its rule and that democratic
ideals would threaten that
growth. He went on to note
authoritarians
around
the
world have been pointing to the
failures of liberal democracies
to strengthen the credibility of
their own regimes. Moreover,
he said the claim the United
States is the leading example
of
a
human
rights-driven
democracy can no longer be
supported.
“The United States began
the century as a respected and
unrivaled military, economic,
political and, in many ways,
moral power,” Breen said. “But
consider America’s record in
the eyes of the world since
the turn of the century: illegal
torture and black sites in the
wake of 9/11, the 2003 invasion
of Iraq, the 2008 financial crisis
and the subsequent recession
that followed, the 2016 election
and the continuing awfulness
of our politics.”
Breen claimed the Trump
administration is worsening
the human rights crisis in
the United States by allowing
for multiple human rights
violations, specifically against
immigrants and refugees. He
said that as a consequence,
activists in other countries
are no longer using American
values in defense of their
protests and are instead having
to appeal to localized rhetoric
and goals.
“Today, we have arguably
the first administration since
the Second World War to stand
in open opposition to human
rights,” Breen said. “Human
rights, the concept, the system,
the universal language and its
greatest traditional champion,
the United States, holds less
promise for activists who are
coming up for strategies for
their movements today than it
did 10 years ago.”
2A — Friday, November 15, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
TUESDAY:
By Design
THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk
FRIDAY:
Behind the Story
WEDNESDAY:
This Week in History
MONDAY:
Looking at the Numbers
B E HIND THE STORY
QUOTE OF THE WE E K
“
This is the first day of what will be a months-long process, where
there will inevitably be a compromise made on every side. If we, the
graduate employees and the GEO members at the University of
Michigan, continue to show up every step of the way to show support
for our team, for our platform and for our union, the University will hear
us. We get what we are organized to take.”
Emily Gauld, Rackham student and president of the Graduate Employees’ Organization
Every Friday, one Daily staffer will give a behind the scenes look at
one of this week’s stories. This week, LSA senior Max Marcovitch,
reported on Michigan football player Cameron McGrone’s
relationship with his younger brother Aaron.
“Cameron’s a 20-year-old guy, I’m a 21-year-old guy, and it’s just humanizing
to be able to hear about his life and his upbringing. It’s also very heartwarming
to be able to hear about his relationship with his brother and to see how that’s
shaped him, as a person rather than as a football player.”
Max Marcovitch, Managing Sports Editor
Sudoku Syndication
http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/
1 of 1
9/22/08 2:54 PM
SUDOKU
EASY
8
1
1
8
3
9
5
4
9
2
8
3
7
2
3
8
3
9
6
3
5
5
3
6
2
1
6
3
7
5
4
9
1
9
3
SNO BLUE, BEAT MSU!
puzzle by sudokusyndication.com
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327
www.michigandaily.com
ARTS SECTION
arts@michigandaily.com
SPORTS SECTION
sports@michigandaily.com
ADVERTISING
dailydisplay@gmail.com
NEWS TIPS
news@michigandaily.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL PAGE
opinion@michigandaily.com
TOMMY DYE
Business Manager
734-418-4115 ext. 1241
tomedye@michigandaily.com
MAYA GOLDMAN
Editor in Chief
734-418-4115 ext. 1251
mayagold@michigandaily.com
PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION
photo@michigandaily.com
NEWSROOM
734-418-4115 opt. 3
CORRECTIONS
corrections@michigandaily.com
The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during
the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is
available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the
Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long
subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription
rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid.
FINNTAN STORER
Managing Editor
frstorer@michigandaily.com
GRACE KAY and ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com
Senior News Editors: Sayali Amin, Rachel Cunningham, Remy Farkas, Leah
Graham, Amara Shaikh
Assistant News Editors: Barbara Collins, Julia Fanzeres, Claire Hao, Alex
Harring, Angelina Little, Madeline McLaughlin, Ben Rosenfeld, Emma Stein,
Zayna Syed, Liat Weinstein
JOEL DANILEWITZ and MAGDALENA MIHAYLOVA
Editorial Page Editors tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Senior Opinion Editors: Emily Considine, Krystal Hur, Ethan Kessler, Miles
Stephenson, Erin White
MAX MARCOVITCH and ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editors sportseditors@michigandaily.com
ARYA NAIDU and VERITY STURM
Managing Arts Editors
arts@michigandaily.com
Senior Arts Editors: Clara Scott, Emma Chang, Cassandra Mansuetti, Sam
Della Fera, Trina Pal
Arts Beat Editors: John Decker, Sayan Ghosh, Mike Watkins, Ally Owens,
Stephen Satarino, Izzy Hasslund, Margaret Sheridan
ALEC COHEN and ALEXIS RANKIN
Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com
ROSEANNE CHAO and JACK SILBERMAN
Managing Design Editors
design@michigandaily.com
Senior Design Editor: Sherry Chen
ANDREA PÉREZ BALDERRAMA
Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com
Deputy Editors: Matthew Harmon, Shannon Ors
SILAS LEE and EMILY STILLMAN
Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com
Senior Copy Editors: Dominick Sokotoff, Olivia Sedlacek, Reece Meyhoefer
CASEY TIN and HASSAAN ALI WATTOO
Managing Online Editors
webteam@michigandaily.com
Senior Web Developers: Jonathon Liu, Abha Panda, Rohan Prashant, Samantha
Cohen
ELI SIDER
Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com
Senior Video Editors: Joseph Sim, Ryan O’Connor
NA’KIA CHANNEY and CARLY RYAN
Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com
Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Lorna Brown, Samuel So, Ana Maria
Sanchez-Castillo, Efe Osagie, Danyel Tharakan
Assistant Michigan in Color Editors: Harnoor Singh, Nada Eldawy, Maya
Mokh
Editorial Staff
Business Staff
RYAN KELLY
Sales Manager
ROBERT WAGMAN
Marketing Consulting Manager
ZELJKO KOSPIC
Special Projects Manager
ANITA MICHAUD
Brand Manager
Senior Photo Editors: Alexandria Pompei, Natalie Stephens, Alice Liu, Allison
Engkvist, Danyel Tharakan
Assistant Photo Editors: Miles Macklin, Keemya Esmael, Madeline Hinkley
Senior Sports Editors: Anna Marcus, Aria Gerson, Ben Katz, Mark Calcagno,
Theo Mackie, Tien Le
Assistant Sports Editors: Bailey Johnson, Bennett Bramson, Connor Brennan,
Jacob Kopnick, Jorge Cazares, Rian Ratnavale
MOLLY WU
Creative Director
CATHERINE NOUHAN
Managing Podcast Editor
MADALASA CHAUDHARI and HANNAH MESKIN
Managing Social Media Editors
Senior Social Media Editor: Allie Phillips
President of Human Rights First
examines geopolitics, global crises
Michael Breen discusses role of advocates across the world, obstacles
VALENTINA HOUSE
For The Daily