Briefing

The bloodhounds of history

Is encouraging human rights a legitimate goal of foreign policy? History provides no clear answer but several revealing lessons

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“I AM blighted by the Foreign Office at present. Earlier today, a creepy official, who is ‘in charge' (heaven help us) of South America, came over to brief me ahead of my trip to Chile. All crap about Human Rights. Not one word about the UK interest; how we saw the balance, prospects, pitfalls, opportunities in the Hemisphere.”

This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “The bloodhounds of history”

A bad time to be an ostrich

From the April 12th 1997 edition

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