The Bureau of Human Rights during the Carter Administration

Bureaucratic conflicts hampered the Carter administration's human rights iniatives, which eventually were overshadowed by national security issues. The Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs initially received administration support, but was undermined by competing bureaus and governmental departments. Conflicts occurred with the State Department and the National Security Council, for example. The human rights bureau was established in 1976 with good intentions, but had lost virtually all power by the end of 1980.