2010 Essays

Staying Relevant on Human Rights

Mitchell, Lincoln A.

In the current global political environment it is not at all clear what the U.S. can do other than talk about human rights. They have little leverage over Vietnam, or any other foreign government whose behavior they would like to change. There are, of course, exceptions to this, but it seems like the U.S. is reluctant to apply pressure even to those governments over which they have leverage. Persuasion is a critical part of diplomacy, but it is something which has become increasingly difficult for the U.S.