Alex Massie Alex Massie

Obama’s Human Rights and Democracy Hypocrisy

How committed is Obama to human rights? Not very, it seems. Perhaps his speech in Cairo on Thursday will change one’s view of this, but the new President must be judged by actions, not merely words and noble intentions. As my friend Mike Crowley points out:

But when it comes to Egypt, he has already set a tone. Obama has declined to make America’s $1.8 billion in foreign aid to Egypt (our second-largest recipient) conditional on political and human-rights reform, and aid specifically for democratic programs has been slashed by more than half, from $55 million to $20 million. Hillary Clinton has spoken cautiously about Egypt’s severe political repression.

Cue much muttering about change you can believe in and all the rest of it. I thought James Traub put it rather well in the New York Times on Sunday:

Mr. Obama has a gift for eluding antinomies: he is “both-and” rather than “either-or.” But consensus-seeking has its limits. You can demonstrate deep respect for both the state and its people in a democracy like the Czech Republic — but not in a place like Egypt, where the people feel crushed by the state. There you must make a choice. And if the state is a valued ally, it will be a very difficult choice. The dilemma is particularly acute for Mr. Obama, who is seen throughout the world as the incarnation of American democracy, and who well understands America’s power to inspire both hope and resentment. Does he want to be seen as the architect of a policy that gives a dictator free rein in exchange for strategic cooperation? Would that even be a “realist” choice?

Quite so. I would add that if three-quarters of Egyptians really profess themselves unhappy with Obama’s performance as President then some of this might have something to do with the support his administration has given Hosni Mubarak.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in