Washington ? The U.S.-led war on terror is a “failure” that has led to gross human rights violations, undermined U.S. moral legitimacy and made the world more dangerous, Amnesty International said Wednesday in an annual survey of human rights around the world.

The harsh report from the respected human rights group condemned Bush administration actions, citing prisoner detention policies, the Iraq war and what it described as selective application of international laws such as the Geneva Convention. The group said the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq further inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment.

“The U.S. government, as the dominant player on the world stage, simply must right its wrongs or it will be too late to regain the trust of its allies and too late to exercise moral persuasion on the world stage,” said William Schultz, Amnesty International U.S.A. executive director.

The White House dismissed Amnesty’s findings, saying the United States adhered to “the rule of law.”

“The war on terrorism has resulted in the liberation of 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the protection of their rights,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

The State Department was somewhat more conciliatory. Spokesman Richard Boucher said that “we do take Amnesty’s reports seriously” but “we don’t necessarily agree with their views.”

Calling events of 2003 “the most sustained attack on human rights and international humanitarian law in 50 years,” Amnesty International’s report documented human rights violations by governments across the globe, saying 47 countries carried out political killings and 58, including the United States, detained people without charge or trial.

“The war on terror has evolved into a global brawl, with governments and armed groups duking it out and innocent civilians suffering severely,” Schultz said. But the group reserved its sharpest criticism for the United States.

The Bush administration has lost its moral compass at a time when violations are rising around the globe,” Schultz said.