Ever since the September 11 attacks which shattered the nation, the war on terror has been a major undertaking by American leaders. On the forefront, the rationale behind the war on terror seems feasible. After all, avenging the lives of those who have been lost because of terrorism and improving national defenses to prevent such an attack, such as 9/11, from ever occurring again defines America’s character as a formidable superpower. Yet, over the past decade, the war on terror has violated numerous human rights codes and laws and has set a double standard on America - the land of the free and the vanguard of human rights enforcement.         
       

The human rights violations are many. The torture and violence inflicted upon many convicts of Guantanamo Bay and the failure of President Obama to shut down this establishment has caused several public outcries across the nation. The use of drones in the mass killings of terror suspects has caused hundreds of civilian deaths - a blatant violation of the right to life. Countless refugees who have suffered so much from the hands of terrorists have been lumped together with their oppressors and have been restricted entrance to numerous countries. All these human rights violations have been the offshoot of the war on terror and must be remedied.
         

Guantanamo Bay detention center is a high-level prison located in Cuba. It was set apart as a naval base used to house Muslim militants and suspected terrorists captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq (Brittanica). According to Amnesty International, More than 150 men held at Guantanamo Bay have yet to be tried or convicted. At the Geneva Convention, it was determined that Guantanamo Bay’s use of torture and violence on its untried convicts went against human rights principles. In response to these allegations, President Barack Obama, in his first term in 2009, stated that the prison would be closed “within a year.” Yet, the year is 2015 and Obama has not fulfilled his promise six years later. Many prisoners have been approved for transfer, yet these transfers have still not yet occurred. And, on average, taxpayers pay about $4.1 million dollars on each prisoner, and roughly $454 million dollars on all of the detainees combined (American Civil Liberties Union). Such an expenditure coupled with the obvious human rights violations - the denying of a free trial and relying on mere suspicion to detain prisoners for years or decades on end and the use of torture and violence on prisoners, thus breaking Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has contributed to the growing abuse of human rights in the war on terror in regards to the Guantanamo Bay situation (Human Rights Watch).
       

The use of drones to specifically target and kill high-profile terror suspects and leaders has been a major component of America’s role in playing on the offensive when dealing with the war on terror. However, a recent article written by the Huffington Post reveals that “nearly 90 percent of people killed in recent drone strikes were not the target” (Fang). Therefore, statistically, for every one terror suspect who is killed nine innocent civilians are killed. The media rejoices with every terrorist leader who is killed, yet it fails to portray the stark reality of drone culture in the Middle East and abroad. Researchers working under the Bureau of Investigative Journalism conducted field studies and interviews using a separate analysis of media reporting and estimate that drones have killed between four hundred and nine hundred civilians in comparison to the single digit reports U.S. media outlets broadcast (Bureau of Investigative Journalism). In April of 2015, when Dr. Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto, two Italian humanitarian aid workers, were killed during a drone strike, the media gobbled up the story and the nation was outraged.  the Obama administration promised a “full investigation” into the matter -  an investigation that came only because the victims were Westerners (Human Rights Watch). Thus, the innocent civilians killed merely because they were in the way of America’s barbaric way of solving terrorism are a testament to the need for reform in this backhanded way of solving violence - with more violence.
       

Recent reports released by the United Nations Refugee Agency reveal that in light of recent findings which state that one of the Paris attackers who massacred hundreds of people had snuck in with Syrian refugees via Greece, refugees are currently being viewed in a negative light. Even though it was confirmed that the passport which the attacker carried was indeed a fake, a wave of fear and hysteria has caused people around the globe, especially in America, to use the Syrian refugees seeking asylum as a scapegoat for terrorism (United Nations Refugee Agency). And, with people like Mr. Trump who manipulate using fear and racism, refugees are being barred from entry into numerous countries who have ample amount of resources and space to offer asylum. Fleeing from violence inflicted by terrorist groups like ISIS and persecution, these refugees have been the victims of numerous human rights violations. Since the September 11 attacks over 784,000 refugees have been granted entry into the United States, however, only three within that large number have been linked with terrorism (none were planning an attack in the United States, rather leaving overseas to join a terrorist group) (Berman). Therefore, the war on terror has caused a wave of panic and hysteria which is shielding people from the fact that there is a relatively low-risk for a terrorist to enter in with Syrian refugees. And, as long as these refugees are treated with discrimination and apathy, these refugees’ rights are being violated.
       

The war on terror is terrifying and often times bleak. With all the destruction and panic, ISIS and other terrorist groups have caused, civilians are all over the world are threatened and lose their lives everyday. Yet, when eliminating ISIS and stopping its operations, the sacredness of human life and the most fundamental rights of the human person cannot be overlooked. Protecting the American people from dangerous terror suspects is important for American defenses, yet when trials and convictions have not been conducted and torture and violence are inflicted, Guantanamo Bay becomes a blatant violation of naturally endowed human rights. The use of drones to kill high-level terror suspects without the deployment of boots on the ground is less burdensome and gets the job done, but with a success rate of 10% and the killing of innocent civilian lives, should not this drone usage be at least modified? Finally, refugees are victims of war and violence and are fleeing militant groups like ISIS, but when they are blamed for terrorism and barred from entry into numerous countries, there lies a violation of these refugees’ basic human rights.
       

Benjamin Franklin's dire warning cannot be repeated often enough:  "Any Society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." Thus, America must uphold its foundational principles of liberty, justice, and equality and be the vanguard of human rights enforcement by protecting the human rights of all people, especially in the face of terrorism and violence.

Works Cited
"After Paris Attacks, Refugees Should Not Be Turned into Scapegoats." UNHCR News. United Nations, 17 Nov. 2015. Web. 03 Jan. 2016.
"Amnesty International." USA: Close Guantánamo and End Human Rights Hypocrisy. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2016.
Berman, Russell. "Can Terrorists Really Infiltrate the Syrian Refugee Program?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 03 Jan. 2016.
"Close Guantánamo." American Civil Liberties Union. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2016.
Fang, Marina. "Nearly 90 Percent of People Killed in Recent Drone Strikes Were Not the Target." Huffington Post. N.p., 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 3 Jan. 2016.
"The Legal Prohibition Against Torture." Human Rights Watch. N.p., 11 Mar. 2003. Web. 03 Jan. 2016.
"Obama's Drone War - The New Yorker." The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2016.
"The Open Secret of Targeted Killings." Human Rights Watch. N.p., 18 June 2015. Web. 03 Jan. 2016.
Tharoor, Ishaan. "Were Syrian Refugees Involved in the Paris Attacks? What We Know and Don’t Know." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2015. Web. 03 Jan. 2016.