A Human Rights Agenda for the New Administration

For all their differences, the two leading presidential candidates have both spotlighted the promotion of human rights internationally as a cornerstone of a rebuilt American foreign policy. John McCain, breaking from Republican orthodoxy, has said that "promoting human rights abroad can serve our national interests in profound ways." Barack Obama, resisting a trend among Democrats toward hard-bitten realism, has promised that "in every region of the globe, our foreign policy should promote traditional American ideals: democracy and human rights." Both candidates, rightly, see human rights as a necessary foundation for restoring American credibility and legitimacy around the world. But neither candidate has yet fleshed out how he would restore American global leadership on human rights. Whichever party wins the White House, the next administration needs a clear blueprint that not only reverses the worst damage done by the Bush administration but will make the United States once again a vital force in strengthening respect for human rights globally.