Transnational activists in a context of repression: the case of the human rights activists and U.S. Foreign Policy during the military dictatorship in Argentina (1976–1979)

This article analyses the role of transnational human rights networks and its influence on the foreign policy of countries promoting human rights policies. It focuses on the case of the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983) and the influence of transnational human rights networks on Carter’s human rights policy towards this country. In particular, it analyzes the role of those actors as providers of information on human rights abuses and their role as providers of information on responsibilities within the Argentine government. It draws on evidence from the State Department declassified documents and from interviews with members of human rights organizations and from the U.S. diplomacy. It shows that the distinction between information on human rights abuses and information on the responsibilities within the repressive government is analytically relevant and that in some cases it can lead to contradictory views within the diplomacy of countries promoting human rights.