![]() ![]() ![]() Officials within the State Department’s bureaus of Economic and Business Affairs, Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement each deserve credit for the action, as does the peculiarly named directorate for International Organizations and Alliances at the National Security Council, which coordinates multilateral and human rights policy. In light of this perennial bureaucratic dynamic, it’s worth highlighting that introducing 13 primary sanctions designations on individuals, and an additional 39 secondary designations (on two individuals and 37 entities), in the annex to the new executive order is a pretty big deal. Instead, more prosaically, it’s significant because it’s likely that many of the sanctions designations unveiled in December were opposed by several of the State Department’s regional bureaus, which tend to be skeptical of any actions that involve increasing friction in a bilateral diplomatic relationship, even when dealing with foreign governments with truly odious records. I say this not because of President Donald Trump’s clear disdain for nearly all of the precepts underpinning human rights as a concept, or because of the original Magnitsky Act’s cameo role in events currently under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But before delving into why it could prove to be quite powerful, it’s worth spending some time on a few of the specific 52 sanctions designations, which provide insight into the Trump administration’s policies and the inevitable bureaucratic battles that go on behind the scenes.įirst, the fact that the Trump administration designated any human rights abusers and corrupt actors under an executive order tied to the Global Magnitsky Act-which, we should remember, is an elective authority- is a significant achievement. That order (number 13818, for those keeping track at home), entitled “ Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption,” holds great potential as a tool to advance human rights policy. government, we all likely missed the real story, which centers not on the designations, but on the executive order that accompanied them. While news outlets, human rights organizations (including my own), and key congressional champions of the Global Magnitsky Act, and its Russia-specific predecessor, put out articles and statements focused on the 15 individuals and 37 entities sanctioned by the U.S. The law, which Congress passed in 2016, provides the executive branch with authority to administer targeted financial and visa-related sanctions against foreign individuals and entities if they are found to have committed human rights violations or engaged in corrupt practices. 21, the Trump administration released its initial tranche of sanctions designations under a new executive order tied to the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. To briefly recap: with much of official Washington already checked out for the holidays, on Dec. ![]() ![]() That’s a shame, because what the Trump administration did is a big deal. It therefore came as a surprise on multiple levels, when, in the week just before Christmas-a time generally reserved for burying news, not making it-an administration starved of positive stories to trumpet when it comes to America’s reputation abroad inexplicably decided to roll out what is, safe to say, the most positive, broad-based human rights-related measure of its tenure. In meetings I’ve had over the past year with the well-meaning and generally beleaguered Trump administration officials responsible for aspects of the government’s human rights policy, a frequent refrain is that this administration isn’t receiving enough credit for the positive steps it has taken with respect to promoting human rights and the rule of law (and, to be fair, it has taken a few).Īt a certain level-and I say this with no lack of empathy, given the situation in which these officials find themselves-their lament is difficult to countenance, given the many ways in which their boss’s manifest authoritarian tendencies, disdain for judicial independence and a free press, and attacks on women and religious and ethnic minorities are alienating allies and emboldening human rights abusers and kleptocrats around the world. ![]()
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