Newsweek: Abusers Bad, Unless They're Allies, Apparently
Newsweek published an opinion piece arguing Interpol shouldn't elect 'chief abusers' as its next president. A noble sentiment, to be sure. Yet, this sudden concern for an international body's integrity often vanishes when the 'abusers' are key U.S. allies. One might then wonder, where is the piece on the U.S.'s unwavering support for specific regimes despite their documented human rights
violations, or the persistent silence on allegations against figures from allied nations? This selective outrage isn't about 'human rights' as much as it is about maintaining geopolitical narratives, highlighting abuses when it suits the agenda, and conveniently overlooking them when it doesn’t. This selective indignation by Newsweek is a masterclass in moral relativism. The establishment media
consistently champions 'democracy' and 'human rights' until a U.S.-backed figure or nation is involved. Then, the goalposts—and indeed, entire football fields—are moved. The piece conveniently omits the U.S.'s own history of supporting or overlooking the very types of 'abusers' it condemns in other contexts. The commentary serves as a stark reminder: for mainstream media, human rights are often
less an absolute principle and more a flexible foreign policy tool.