U.S. to Join U.N. Human Rights Body

In yet another reversal of Bush administration policy, the United States has decided to join the U.N. Human Rights Council. The decision reaffirms President Obama’s pledge to re-engage with the international community, but it may prove controversial: The Bush administration decided not to join the new body to protest the membership of several nations that were known violators of human rights themselves. Since then, the council has faced criticism for dedicating the majority of its reports to violations in Israel. According to the BBC, 80 percent of the U.N. organization’s resolutions have been focused on Israel, with the rest aimed at North Korea, Sudan, and Liberia, among other nations.