(UDPATE 12/06/2005 at the end)
The Wall Street Journal argues today that Europe cares about human rights only when it can criticize the United States. The Review & Outlook piece describes Europe's "moral outrage" over alleged CIA prisons and secret flights of terror suspects as "deafening," and opines:
If Europe were seriously concerned about morality. Europe would no longer be Iran's No. 1 trading partner, and its companies wouldn't be able to attend trade fairs in Sudan anymore. Unlike American companies--recently defamed in Germany as "(blood) suckers" and "locusts" by the former government--European firms are quite busy in Sudan. The chamber of commerce and industry in Stuttgart has enthused over what great opportunities Sudan's oil resources offer to German companies. Lest people think they are doing something morally reprehensible, the salesmen from Stuttgart prefer to describe the massacres of black Africans in Darfur as "political disturbances." The German economics ministry, which sponsored the German pavilion at last February's trade fair in Sudan, will also support next February's event, the chamber of commerce assures its members.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) asks "Where is the outrage?" and indeed, so far Google News Deutschland does not have a single article at for the keywords "Sudan" and "Messe" (German for "trade fair").
How did the WSJ then learn about the trade fair? Probably by reading the very popular blog Davids Medienkritik, which featured the Atlantic Review's Genocide: U.S. calls for more sanctions against Sudan, but Germany sees business opportunities on November 26, 2005.
The Atlantic Review learned about the Stuttgart chamber of commerce's praise for the fair via Neokomplott and then googled extensively for the participating companies and the German Pavilion website. And Neokomplott learned about it through Extrablog. Isaac Newton's "If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of giants" applies here as well. Let's see how long it will take until a German paper finally picks up the story from the WSJ (or from one of the blogs).
The WSJ continues:
Or who in Europe has heard of Soghra, an Iranian woman sentenced in October to death by stoning for adultery? Or Mokhtar N. and Ali A., hanged last month in a public square in Iran for homosexuality?
In much of Europe's public debate, the true meaning of human rights has degenerated into a tool that gives anti-Americanism an aura of legitimacy. The real, horrendous human-rights violations in the Middle East, North Korea, China, Cuba, etc., are largely ignored or relegated to news blurs on the back pages. For front-page coverage, you need an American angle.
It is often said that this has nothing to do with anti-Americanism but with the fact that democracies, such as the U.S., must be held to higher standards. Really? Let's look at some recent European violations of human rights.
In October, the European Council's Commissioner for Human Rights inspected what the French call a detention center for foreigners. Alvaro Gil-Robles believes it is more properly called a dungeon.
The WSJ criticizes the lack of media coverage of these allegations and asks its readers to imagine the moral outcries if the US had been involved and provides more examples of double standards. You can read the entire WSJ article Europe's 'Moral Outrage' for free. You don't have to be a subscriber, but you need to register for free. (Hat tip Davids Medienkritik)
UPDATE 12/06/2005:
Transatlanticist and Feldnotizen have picked up this story and comment in English. DIE ZEIT's Kosmoblog ways in in German. Thank you!
or 
:
Joerg Wolf von Atlantic Review schreibt auch ueber die moegliche Quelle des WSJ Leitartikels ueber unsere angebliche Scheinheiligkeit. Er sagt, dass sie wohl David's Medienkritik ist. Und David schreibt dann so was:Clearly though, the most frightening aspect of IG Metall's Comments ()
Tracked: Dec 11, 04:25
Per des dritten Kommentars der hier hinterlassen wurde habe ich keine Ahnung. Und bin zu anti-amerikanisch und das waere doch schlimm wenn man Blutsauger amerikanisch nennt, auch wenn sie Blutsauger sind.Die Ahnung die mir fehlt ist, dass es die Profitgier Comments ()
Tracked: Dec 15, 03:32
The Carnival of German-American Relations is asking bloggers to submit their thoughts on the US-German relations. We've run more than a few stories on this topic over the years, from discussions to personal anecdotes to... Comments ()
Tracked: Mar 16, 02:06
Popular German magazines such as Der Spiegel frequently put US critical pictures on their cover. Critical reporting about the world's sole superpower is necessary, but statements like "Torture in the Name of Freedom" (as seen on a recent Spiege Comments ()
Tracked: Mar 22, 15:30