Research

It appears that once again, the Obama administration is hoping that a single speech can make up for months of inaction.  Today, President Obama’s Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, will finally deliver a speech focused on democracy and human rights. Though, to the world’s struggling dissident movements, the administration’s silence on these issues over the past year has been deafening. Secretary Clinton even went so far as to state in February that addressing human rights “can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis." A troubling pattern has emerged from the Obama White House of not allowing the fundamental causes of democracy and human rights to distract them from their agenda, as former Clinton Administration Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin explains:

Unfortunately, in a number of judgment calls this past year, the principle of democratic values has fallen victim to this bitter legacy. Whether it was avoiding an Oval Office visit by the Dalai Lama, not demanding an opportunity to promote human rights during the president's recent visit to China, or not pressing for the release of jailed dissidents there, a practical decision was made that U.S. concerns about the economy, global warming, and nonproliferation took precedence in the relationship with China… Most wrenching of all has been the Obama administration's response to the opposition movement in Iran.

One year into his administration, President Obama’s foreign policy team continues to ignore dissidents throughout the world.  Human rights groups are right to demand more from this White House – for dissidents and prisoners, a simple speech alone will not make up for lost time and silence.