By invitation: Harold Hongju Koh Rights to remember How has
September 11th changed America's approach to human rights?
Dangerously, suggests Harold Hongju Koh, but perhaps only
temporarily I WOULD argue that September 11th ended the euphoria
brought on by the fall of the Berlin Wall, the belief that
American-led global co-operation could solve global problems.
The American administration responded to the twin-towers tragedy
with a sweeping new global strategy: an emerging “Bush
doctrine”, if you will. One element of this doctrine is what I
call “Achilles and his heel”. September 11th brought upon
America, as once upon Achilles, a schizophrenic sense of both
exceptional power and exceptional vulnerability. Never has a
superpower seemed so powerful and so vulnerable at the same
time. The Bush doctrine asked: “How can we use our superpower
resources to protect our vulnerability?” The administration's
answer has been “homeland security”. To preserve American power
and prevent future attack, the government has ass