Do Global Publics View Human Rights Organizations as Handmaidens of the United States?

The article looks at global publics' actual perceptions of relations of human rights organizations (HROs) with the U.S. It presents the history of the role of human rights groups in debates over international politics and in furthering U.S. geopolitical interests. The relationship between public trust in HROs and mistrust in the U.S. government in Latin America is discussed, as well as the effect of open political systems and freedom of the press in Latin America on discussions of human rights abuses.