The U.S. was elected to the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday along with 17 other nations in mostly uncontested elections. China, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia were also elected, who have been criticized for having dismal human rights records themselves.
The U.S. chose to join the Council in a policy change from the Bush Administration, which boycotted the Council because of its frequent criticism of Israel. The two countries which failed to be elected to the Council were Kenya and Azerbaijan.