Hillary Clinton was quite right to downgrade human rights topics during her trip to China. What is surprising is that Amnesty International is shocked about her comments. The statement that AI issued, from a Mr. T. Kumar, is telling:
“The United States is one of the only countries that can meaningfully stand up to China on human rights issues…[b]y commenting that human rights will not interfere with other priorities, Secretary Clinton damages future U.S. initiatives to protect those rights in China.”
You mean, even launching a war of aggression which has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, re-instituting torture policies that have set back the cause of human rights by 50 years, and detaining people without charges or any sort of due process for half a decade or more is not enough to prevent the U.S. from having the moral authority to ‘stand up to’ China on human rights issues? At this point I wonder what the US could do to remove its presumed moral authority.
Let’s look closely at what Ms. Clinton said. After merely stating that human rights issues will not have top billing in the discussions, (so that cooperation on economic issues could be discussed in a more relaxed, friendly environment) she said:
“That doesn’t mean that questions of Taiwan, Tibet, human rights, the whole range of challenges that we often engage on with the Chinese, are not part of the agenda,” she said. “But we pretty much know what they’re going to say.”“We know we’re going to press them to reconsider their position about Tibetan religious and cultural freedom and autonomy for the Tibetans and some kind of recognition or acknowledgment of the Dalai Lama and we know what they’re going to say,” Clinton said.
“I have had those conversations for more than a decade with Chinese leaders and we know what they’re going to say about Taiwan and military sales and they know what we’re going to say,” she said.
“We have to continue to press them,” she said. “But our pressing on those issues can’t interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises. We have to have a dialogue that leads to an understanding and cooperation on each of those.”
Human rights has long been an issue that countries use as a cudgel to bash one another, while simultaneously refusing to acknowledge their own abuses. The whole dance is horribly hypocritical and usually leads nowhere. Walking into Beijing with a chip on her shoulder would have been a very bad way to start off the relationship. Especially since the Chinese are propping up the US economy at the moment.
It is just Kabuki theatre and no one will benefit. Once upon a time the US could wield this moral authority, but no more. Over the past 20 years China has made great progress in human rights, while the US initially remained unchanged, but more recently has backtracked a great deal. Hillary seems to understand that, and AI needs to as well.
Amnesty International has done a lot of great work, and continues to be an important organization. But their influence has been on the wane throughout the Bush Administration, and they are not in the best position to continue harping on the same old issues. I suppose they have to issue a statement complaining that their pet issue is not getting top billing any more, but they would seem to have quite a tin ear at the moment. I would ask AI to be more constructive in their approach.
I do want to see China’s concern for human rights improve. I would like to see greater individual rights, modern criminal procedures to protect the innocent, effective protections against abuse and corruption by government officials, the Chinese Constitution become a living document, (remember the US Constitution took years to reach a point that we might call largely fulfilled), and any number of other reforms.
However I also very much want to see concern and protections for human rights in the US improve in areas where there has been no improvement in years, or even backtracking over the past decade. I want to see Guantanamo shut down, torture made undeniably illegal, the shameful conditions of US prisons improved, crimes by government actors investigated and prosecuted, more protections against government law-breakers at every level, from the Presidency to local prosecutorial misconduct, and a whole host of other reforms.
Does AI demand that the French government (for instance) have human rights abuses at the top of the agenda when they head to D.C. for talks? Of course not, as apparently the US respects human rights.
Finally, Taiwan as a human rights issue? What? Did Beijing start rounding up the Taiwanese when I wasn’t looking?
Have to say that Taiwan is a human rights issue in as much as it involves the threat of violence. As for the rest, well, yes – I don’t think that blanket statements without details, received with equally blank statements, brings about progress of any kind. If there is specific pressure that the US can bring to bear on a specific issue, this would most certainly be worth while.
FOARP:
Yeah that was a bit of a throwaway comment, the thinking being that Taiwan is an issue of sovereignty not of human rights. But your point is valid. These days, obviously, the Taiwan ‘issue’ has not been a hot issue, well ever since the election, back in March of last year I believe.
My personal opinion, and I am biased perhaps, is that the whole issue between Beijing and Taibei is another kabuki dance. Taiwan cannot afford to break away, even if war were not a possible result. Look at the amount of investment from Taiwan into the Mainland, and the number of Taiwan businessmen with companies (and mistresses) all over the eastern seaboard. You think there is any way that these investments could be maintained if Taipei did something rash? I think you see my point.
How this situation will be resolved, I have no idea. In a lot of ways the current status is quite good, to the extent that Taiwan and Hong Kong serve as cultural and economic outlets, and perhaps as political blueprints for the Mainland to follow. Touchy issues, for sure, and I am not sure I want to tackle them at this time. Too much other low-hanging fruit.
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