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Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, argued once that “America has been created by divine providence to lead the world.” Some scholars agree with such a statement but others argue that the U.S. foreign policy not only contradicts such ideology but furthermore it is to blame for the suffering of many peoples around the world, by abusing the principal rights of human beings and by supporting authoritarian governments and violators of fundamental human rights. There are many critics on the means that the United States uses with regards to foreign policy, and the double standard on promoting democracy on one hand, and collaborating with dictators on the other hand, sets a double standard. The most prominent critic of the US foreign policy is the internationally well known scholar Noam Chomsky. He has long kept up a second career as a cogent voice of the left, excoriating American imperialism, critiquing American foreign policy and attacking global economic injustice and violation of human rights. In his book The umbrella of the U.S. power, Chomsky observed the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a "Path to a Better World" while chronicling how far off the trail the United States was with respect to actual practice and conduct. He examined how the U.S. not only violated the Universal Declaration, but at times used it as a weapon to wield selectively against designated enemies. We find the same writing in other books by Chomsky such as Rogue States, 9-11, Acts of Aggression, the collection of essays, Human Rights Fifty Years On - A Reappraisal, etc. In his writings and open lectures, Chomsky's critiques on American foreign policy started from the Marshall Plan up to the present day. He refers to the U.S. as one of the "worst violators" of human rights, and a country that stood accused before the international Court of Justice for the "unlawful use of force" in its terrorist war against Nicaragua, the attack against South Vietnam, Indonesia, and more. The cases of U.S. military interventions observed by Chomsky are numerous and they all come as support to his statements that the U.S. is "regarded as a rogue state.” This paper will evaluate some of Noam Chomsky's views on the U.S. foreign policy and Human rights issues. The allegations made by Chomsky and the cases mentioned by him are numerous but I will focus on the relation between U.S. foreign policy and the UDHR, the military interventions, economic sanctions, national security, national interest, domestic factors, the Human Rights World Conference in Vienna, 1993, and an evaluation of the U.S. Presidents' policies on human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to focus on how the consequences of war, and the misery brought by it to European society, were depicted by Rubens, the Flemish Baroque painter, in his masterpiece The Consequences of War. The paper is based on an analytical method, with interpretative results and conclusions. This painting was created twenty years into the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), a devastating conflict that involved almost every major power in Europe and left some regions of Germany almost depopulated, but it also serves as a true visual illustrations on the situation of Europe today. Wars and conflicts have accompanied humankind since the beginning of time, and despite the different eras, continents, or nations, the consequences in people and society have been equally devastating. The terrors of war affected every sector of life, politics, society, as well as the arts. This paper will do e thorough analysis of the work, interpreting its symbolism, explaining the figures of Mars, the god of war, with his armor, helmet, red cloak, raised shield and bloody sword. With his left foot forward on a book and a drawing the image symbolizes that war destroys literature and the arts. To his left, Venus, the goddess of love, is seen trying to hold him back and pulling his arm. She tries to seduce him and make him withdraw from the fight. Venus is naked and has a red robe between her legs. That garment unites her and Mars, as a symbol that unites love and war, both driven by human passion. The whole picture reveals the destruction of life, soul, love, harmony, nations, arts, buildings, literature and music. A full blast of horror. It is a lesson for today conflicts and crisis. In the image there are several arrows, a scepter and an olive branch, symbols of peace, which have fallen to the ground under the flood of war. To the left of the painting is a despondent woman dressed in black, her arms flailing in the air. This woman represents Europe, the war-torn and bloody continent. Her eyes are teary, and she prays to heaven to stop the human folly. Rubens appeals through symbols that war has ravaged the European continent since Roman times. This work is an illustration on how war has a terrible impact on the lives of ordinary people, causing famine, disease and economic destruction in all regions. The allegory painted by Rubens serves as a memorial to the total war that Europeans experienced in the 20th century and even today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]