On Values, the U.S. Says One Thing and Does Another

During his seventh trip to the Middle East since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a message he hoped would resonate from the Middle East to the Columbia University campus in Manhattan: the United States takes its human rights obligations seriously and doesn’t pick favorites. “When it comes to human rights, look, let me be very clear: There is no double standard,” Blinken insisted to reporters traveling with him.

U.S. officials may genuinely believe what Blinken is saying. It’s not like the U.S. is callous about human right; there is an entire bureau in the State Department focused exclusively on the issue. By law, the U.S. is required to cease defense assistance to any unit of a foreign security force found to be committing human rights abuses. The State Department also publishes an annual report on human rights practices around the world, with country-by-country analysis.

But what the U.S. says doesn’t always square with what the U.S. actually does. While Blinken and others might scoff at the suggestion that the U.S. levies preferential treatment on what should be a universal value, the reality is exactly that. Bluntly put, the U.S. treats allies and partners much differently than it does competitors and adversaries.

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Daniel
DePetris

Fellow