Humanizing militarism : Amnesty International and the tactical polyvalence of human rights discourses

Jessica Whyte

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

    1 Citation (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In the lead-up to the Chicago NATO summit in May 2012, Amnesty International USA found itself embroiled in a controversy that burst and ricocheted across social media like a cluster bomb. As NATO leaders and antiwar protestors prepared to converge on Chicago, the city's bus shelters displayed striking posters of Afghan women shielding young children in the draping fabric of their burqas. The headline of the poster, “Human Rights for Women and Girls in Afghanistan” was what one would expect from a human rights organization. The controversy arose from the bold message addressed to the US dominated military alliance: “NATO: Keep the Progress Going!” Unsurprisingly, this was interpreted as an endorsement of those who had been occupying Afghanistan for more than a decade, and was greeted with incredulity and anger. Long-time Amnesty supporters announced they would discontinue their donations and others asked whether Amnesty has become a pro-war organization. In a response with the revealing title “We get it,” Amnesty USA’s Vienna Colucci (2012) argued that the poster did not suggest that Amnesty believed NATO should remain in the country. Rather, it was designed to “remind NATO of the conversation it should be having on women’s human rights.” According to Colucci (2012), while the poster was admittedly “confusing,” to see it as an endorsement of the occupation was to misinterpret it.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe Aporia of Rights: Explorations in Citizenship in the Era of Human Rights
    EditorsAnna Yeatman, Peg Birmingham
    Place of PublicationU.S.
    PublisherBloomsbury
    Pages183-203
    Number of pages21
    ISBN (Electronic)9781501302282
    ISBN (Print)9781623569778
    Publication statusPublished - 2014

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