The presidential proclamations commemorating National Captive Nations Week—the third week of every July–are a revealing reflection of U.S. foreign policy over the past 50 years and America’s sometimes hard, sometimes soft attitude toward those who suppress the basic human rights of peoples and nations. The first proclamation, issued by President …
In 1959, President Eisenhower signed into law the Captive Nation Week resolution which mandated that the United States, as “the citadel of human freedom,” provide “leadership in bringing about [Captive Nations’] liberation and independence.” Last weekend, President Obama delivered his version of the Captive Nations Week proclamation.However, although Obama spoke …
