Description
Under President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, the current US administration questions, threatens, or disregards a wide array of longstanding international norms and institutions. This paper explores how America First might pose a significant threat to the global human rights regime as reflected in important institutions and norms. The Trump administration has withdrawn the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Council and almost completely de-emphasized human rights issues in its foreign policy statements. The U.S. has attempted to impose very strict new limits on individual claims of refugee status, despite international legal norms. The President has openly advocated the use of torture against alleged terrorists and their families. The administration denied travel visas to ICC personnel who are investigating alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. Most recently, the administration announced the creation of a new human rights panel focused on “natural law” which appears intended to make arguments which undermine protections for key groups. Drawing on the norm contestation literature and the concept of international normative transgressions, this paper will examine the dynamics and potential long-term impact of the US’ recent turn away from human rights, and question whether this represents a fundamental shift in US foreign policy or whether it is consistent with previous approaches.
