Global Investment Watch

The Human Rights Agenda for the Next President

The next president will have his plate full with the global economic crisis and the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts at the top of a pile of critical issues. How our new president deals with these and other issues will determine, in part, his legitimacy as the leader of the free world. However, establishing his credentials around a range of human rights concerns integral to these major public policy issues will be paramount.

A number of organizations concerned about human rights have proposed policy recommendations for the next president. Human Rights Watch, a leading organization in the field has set forth a human rights agenda for John McCain or, more likely, Barack Obama. In a nutshell, HRW urges the new president to consider the following:

1. Ensure that the U.S. war against terrorists not usurp basic human rights
2. Reestablish human rights as a core principle of US foreign policy
3. Reengage with the international human rights community
4. Establish its leadership on domestic human rights issues

I think this is an excellent starting point to begin the debate around ways in which we, as a nation, can restore dignity and peace to the lives of people both in the U.S. and abroad.

In practical terms, this will mean a fundamental retooling of U.S. foreign policy established by the Bush Administration, which has focused exclusively on a neo-conservative view of the world. Economic power, force of will and god should not be the primary pillars of our policy abroad. The next administration will certainly move off of this foreign policy foundation but will have to do much more for no other reason than to repair our flagging reputation.

Platitudes About Terrorism Don’t Usurp the Constitution

Next on the list, the U.S. must dispose of its arcane interpretations of international law as it relates to prisoners of war. Torture cannot be employed as a tool of war, open-ended detention cannot be allowed to continue and basic disregard for the rights of innocent people as a means for justifying a vast range of illegal activity must be halted.

Human Rights Must Be a Factor in U.S. Foreign Policy

We can no longer ignore egregious human rights problems in countries with which we have established ties simply because of economic or geopolitical expediency. Countries such as Pakistan, Israel and Egypt cannot be allowed to continue to violate the fundamental rights of their citizens and residents simply because they are our “friends.” Likewise, our less than aggressive dealings with China, Burma and Colombia cannot be allowed to continue in its current form simply because they are important trading partners.

Reconnect with the Human Rights Community

In a shameful move, the U.S. has lost its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. Deemed superfluous by the Bush Administration, this fractured body needs U.S. leadership and direction. It is imperative that we return to this body and reestablish our legitimacy.

Address the Human Rights Debacle in America

“Do as we say, not as we do” seems to be the current policy of the U.S. government on human rights. In order to reestablish our credentials on human rights, we must begin to retool our human rights practices in America. This is a big challenge and will not be accomplished in the first term of the next president. However, the time is now to begin this process.

The first big item on the domestic human rights agenda is criminal justice reform. We have become a nation of prisoners, with 1 in 100 Americans incarcerated at present. Criminalization as a truncheon for solving myriad social issues does not work. Addressing underlying social policy issues that lead to crime must be tackled. Reestablishing the rule of law, which has taken a beating in the wars on drugs and terrorism, must be accomplished as soon as possible. Reducing the massive imprisonment of people for non-violent and drug-related crimes must be replaced with programs designed to solve the underlying problems.

The human rights agenda is a large item for the next American president. Ignoring it will only further damage our legitimacy as a nation and cause greater turmoil around the world. Can we do it? Yes we can!