Do left-wing European journalists and politicians share the blame for the 50-year duration of the Castro dictatorship? Cuban human rights campaigner Armando Valladares seems to think so, and he makes a good case. Sure, the Castros and their goons—who beat up with truncheons and drag through the streets anyone who dares speak their minds in the “Socialist Paradise”—have ultimate responsibility for what they have wrought. But Valladares, who spent 20 years in Castro’s Gulag, has a point when he says that the support that Europe’s self-selected bien pensants have given …
If you are a human rights activist or suffer under the yoke of an oppressive regime, do not expect the United States to be rushing to your assistance these days. As the U.S. government persists in pursuing engagement with less than savory regimes – such as those of Cuba and Iran – those who fight for liberty for their citizens are feeling the pinch. Groups supporting freedom for the citizens of Iran have felt the change in tone since President Obama took office. One example was the defunding of the …
As noted before at the Foundry, the free expression that we take for granted in the United States is unknown to those living under the Castro regime. In a chilling reminder of the cold authoritarian repression that still exists only 90 miles from the American mainland, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a Cuban political prisoner, died Tuesday. His death came after he had initiated an 80-day hunger strike aimed at improving his conditions. Raul Castro made a rare motion of “lamenting” over the death of Zapata. In a depressingly predictable move, however, …
One year after taking office, President Obama has yet to usher in the new dawn in relations with Latin America he talked about during his campaign. It was a huge promise, given his predecessor’s visits to the region, free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama, the newly created Millennium Challenge Account directing more effective aid to countries there, the Merida Initiative for fighting drugs in Mexico, and the continuing success of the Clinton-era Plan Colombia. Thus far, the Administration’s involvement with the Americas has been more reactive than proactive, dominated …
As Iran’s Islamist dictatorship escalates its brutal repression of its own people, growing numbers of Middle East experts have called for a harder line against Iran. Writing in today’s Washington Post, Ray Takeyh, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, recommended that: “The Obama administration should take a cue from Ronald Reagan and persistently challenge the legitimacy of the theocratic state and highlight its human rights abuses.” It is refreshing that the Council, which is far from a bastion of conservatism, has recognized the value of Ronald Reagan’s …
Liu Xiaobo, one of the primary drafters of the Charter 08 manifesto by Chinese intellectuals calling for protection of human rights, comprehensive political reforms, and a democratic government in China, has had an official case filed against him for “inciting subversion of state power.” Liu, a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen movement and an influential writer, has been detained a year without charge. Now the strong likelihood of his conviction sends a message to other Charter 08 signatories broadly and other human rights activists that the Chinese government will do …
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8KQnFVuoqQ[/youtube], In his disappointing debut in Shanghai, China, President Obama made every effort to avoid offending those who practice an offensive system that actively represses dissent. Now, as the president visits Beijing, it is even more important that he strongly assert the importance of adhering to the universal principles essential to an open, civil society. This next stop offers a critical opportunity to convey in resolute fashion that, in addition to American security interests and a policy of free trade, individual liberty, equality, and the rule of law are fundamental …
On the anniversary of the November 2008 election, it seems appropriate to assess the impact of the Administration on America’s relationship with the United Nations. After all, one of President Obama’s sharpest criticisms of the Bush Administration was its supposed resistance to multilateral efforts—particularly U.N.-led multilateral efforts—to resolve international problems. Well, we can’t say we weren’t warned. In its first 9 months, the Obama administration has sought to purchase goodwill at the U.N. by conceding U.S. policy positions, downplaying the U.N.’s many problems, and seeking to engage with the U.N. …
Tenzin Dorjee, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, recently sat down with Heritage’s Dr. Lee Edwards, Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought, to offer insight on the ethnic and religious tensions plaguing China. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfKQOJFm64E[/youtube] From Xinjiang to Tibet, tensions continue to cloud the Chinese government’s vision of a harmonious and stable society. Many see the CCP’s policies toward religious freedom and ethnic diversity as more divisive than harmonizing. The Chinese government, on the other hand, blames external agitators in the West for the social unrest in China. The lack …
One of the early decisions the Obama Administration made to differentiate itself from the “unilateralist” Bush Administration was to announce that the U.S. would run for a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council. The Council was created in 2006 to replace the hugely discredited U.N. Commission on Human Rights that had failed to reliably confront governments that violated the rights of their citizens, allowed human rights abusers to sit on the Commission for the sole purpose of blunting its effectiveness, and demonized Israel at every opportunity. In 2006, despite …
