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Center for International Law
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Smart Power and Human Rights: Reestablishing U.S. Human Rights Leadership with speaker Suzanne Nossel, Chief of Operations, Human Rights Watch
Approved for 1.5 CLE credits in Professional Practice (CLE credits are free for graduates of New York Law School)
Some say that one of the central challenges facing the next president will be to reestablish the United States' legitimacy and effectiveness as a standard-bearer of human rights and democratic freedoms globally. Many critics believe that, over the last seven years, Washington has invoked the language of human rights and democracy promotion to serve a U.S. agenda that is perceived as aggressive, unilateralist, and unmoored from international law. The current administration has also been accused of weakening human rights protections at home, particularly through its treatment of detainees suspected of terrorist activity. The consequences of these developments have been grave. America's credibility and popularity across the globe have atrophied, with international polls recording sharply more negative views of the United States whose relationships with key allies have frayed. Its ability to build support for policy goals and to win backers in international forums such as the United Nations has diminished. Meanwhile, the causes of human rights and freedom have also suffered. Many analysts say that the next administration, regardless of party, will have to reverse this damage and reassert the United States' role as a guardian and proponent of human rights. Such a shift is essential to restoring its credibility globally. But the United States cannot simply turn back the clock to a time before U.S. legitimacy became tarnished. New global power dynamics, including the rise of China, India and Iran, the emergence of new leaders in Europe, and the direction of Russian statecraft will prevent a return to the post-Cold War moment when the United States seemed to dominate a "unipolar" globe. Moreover, potent long-term threats to American national security, including terrorism and proliferation, will demand new approaches for promoting human rights. To sustain support at home, a new president will need to position human rights as part of a broad strategy for protecting American security interests, and also build constructive relationships with key global powers. Unilateral denunciations of human rights violators will be less effective than steps taking in concert with others. Reforming the leading institutions for human rights promotion has proven difficult and longstanding frustrations with them remain; yet sidestepping such bodies can reinforce anti-U.S. perceptions and worsen the problems. This lecture will address the imperative of restoring the U.S.'s leadership in the arena of human rights and the promotion of democracy, address the hurdles and challenges to doing so, and propose strategies and approaches to guide the way.
About Suzanne Nossel Suzanne Nossel is currently Chief of Operations for Human Rights Watch, where she oversees the organization’s global operations and a staff of more than 260 people. She served as Deputy to the Ambassador for UN Management and Reform at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations under Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke. She was the lead representative for the United States during the General Assembly’s negotiations for an agreement to settle U.S. arrears to the United Nations. In that capacity, she was awarded the Distinguished Honor Award, which is the State Department’s highest honor. Ms. Nossel also served as Vice President of U.S. Business Development at Bertelsmann Media Worldwide, and as Vice President of Strategy and Operations for the Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal. She has also served as a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and the Century Foundation. She is the founder of the weblog www.democracyarsenal.org. |
Last Modified 1/18/2008 2:58:29 PM