The United States' Arbitrary Detention at Home and Abroad: Truth and Facts

IV. Reasons for the Abuse of Arbitrary Detention by the United States

The United States has a long history of arbitrary detention and disregard of human rights both at home and abroad, reflecting a deep-seated political culture of racism and violence.

・ In recent years, racial conflicts have once again become one of the principal problems in American politics and society. One reason is that racism has been a chronic problem of the US since its founding. The cultural superiority and dominant position of the white people have led to a high degree of political, economic and cultural inequality among racial groups in the US.Another reason is that globalization and major demographic changes in the US have in recent years caused increasing grudges among the white Americans, the lower-middle class in particular, against immigrants and ethnic minorities, aggravating the problem of racism in the US.

・ The rise of white supremacy in the US has exacerbated racial conflicts. Recent years have witnessed large-scale minority protests represented by the Black Lives Matter Movement and frequent refugee crises in border areas. Race-based arbitrary detention tramples on the basic human rights of ethnic minorities and foreign immigrants and runs counter to the human rights principles long proclaimed by the US, such as "all men are created equal." It will not help resolve the problem of illegal immigration. Rather, it further tears apart American society, creating social wounds that are difficult to heal. Democracy and human rights in the US are not enjoyed by all, but only by some. Tolerance and pluralism of American society are conditioned on the absolute dominance of the white people.

・ The fact that the US has arbitrarily detained illegal immigrants at home and set up a large number of "black sites" abroad to create cases of arbitrary detention reflects its deep-seated hegemonic and unilateralist thinking and violent political culture. As long as the embedded racism remains, there will be no true integration and equality in the American society. As long as hegemonism and power politics persist, the US will keep resorting to violent means in resolving issues across the world, and the "black sites" and arbitrary detention will continue to exist.

Conclusion

The fact that the United States has carried out arbitrary detention at home and abroad has laid bare its hypocrisy and double standards with regard to human rights. The US groundlessly accuses others of arbitrary detention, while at the same time, however, does not mention a word about the torture and maltreatment common at its own prisons. Arbitrarily throwing people into its "black sites" around the world without trial has become a hallmark of the US trampling on the rule of law and infringing on human rights. The US should face up to and reflect upon its own serious human rights violations, stop politicizing human rights issues, and stop undermining the human rights of people of other countries.

Xinhua