The Role of Human Rights as a Soft power in America's Foreign Policy

Changes in the international system in recent years indicate the status of human rights and changing nature of these rights from an intellectual approach to a vital and strategic approach which is linked to the countries’ political life. So that today we see the deepening of human rights in foreign policy of countries in a vertical position and consequently, the absolute sovereignty of States is crystallized in the meaning of States responsibility. In the meantime, according to the liberalist themes and doctrines rooted in the traditions and values of the USA, human rights are institutionalized as critical component in the foreign policy of this country. With this approach in the analysis of foreign policy of the USA based on soft power, the Middle East is in the top of human rights policy of this country. In other words, given the history of the Middle East and its paradoxes, the cradle of civilization and the centre of cultural and religious discourse as intellectual, theoretical and philosophical capitals of human rights, and on the other hand, political sovereignty and foreign colonialism put an old wound on the body of human society of the region due to lack of respect for human rights and this is a good pretext to put pressure on the region by the major powers. In this context, the Middle East as the main audience of human rights policy of the USA is addressed in the form of Wilsonism tradition with liberal approach and the use of soft power in the context of public diplomacy as a governing principle of US foreign policy is emphasized.