Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) (Photo: Getty/Mark Wilson)

The U.S. should not engage in human rights conflicts in just some countries and not in others, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) argues in an opinion piece published Monday by The Washington Post.

In her commentary, Rep. Omar says the U.S. lacks credibility if it fights for human rights in countries like Venezuela and Iran if it’s unwilling to fight in Brazil or Bahrain:

“Valuing human rights also means applying the same standards to our friends and our enemies. We do not have the credibility to support those fighting for human rights in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua if we do not also support those fighting for human rights in Honduras, Guatemala and Brazil. Our criticisms of oppression and regional instability caused by Iran are not legitimate if we do not hold Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to the same standards.”

The U.S. needs a policy “that takes into account the long-term effects of U.S. engagement in war and that is sincere about our values regardless of short-term political convenience,” Omar writes.

Only by applying America’s values equally around the globe can worldwide peace be attained, she concludes: