"Efforts to achieve these objectives must always respect human rights. Human rights are an integral and valuable part of the American political tradition. Respecting human rights--especially the right not to be tortured, killed, or imprisoned for one's political beliefs--is not only a valuable goal in and of itself, but also reduces grievances that motivate terrorism. Encouraging other countries to better respect human rights should also be an important objective of US counterterrorism policy."

Respecting human rights reduces support for terrorism overseas and is consistent with American values and efforts to promote democracy and good governance.