Department of State
285 Articles
The Growing Irrelevance of State’s List of Countries Not Cooperating on Counterterrorism
Any certification that labels countries as not cooperating fully on counterterrorism and includes only the five countries listed by the State Department last month is less about…
Pompeo’s Personal Stake in the International Criminal Court’s Afghan Investigation
It is no secret that the Trump administration, in general, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, specifically, are hostile toward the International Criminal Court (ICC), particularly…
A Bipartisan Push in Congress to Fight the ‘Parallel Pandemic’ of Human Rights Abuses Abroad
Legislation would improve US support to rights defenders, journalists, and marginalized groups fighting authoritarian abuses of emergency powers abroad.
State’s Selective Cooperation with Congress Raises Legal Questions that Demand Answers
The State Department appears to be engaged in coordinated cooperation with an oversight investigation designed to harm Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, while ignoring…
The President’s Inversion of the Government’s Ethical Conduct Standards, Right Before Americans’ Eyes
The Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (Standards of Conduct) on this topic could not be clearer, and the president's statements contradicting those…
And Then There Were Seven: Rwandan Félicien Kabuga Arrested in France
The case illustrates the long arm of justice, via international tribunals created in the 1990s after the genocides in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
Lessons From a Torture Advocate’s Failed Bid for a Key Human Rights Position
As society continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, most news has been gloomy. But there have been positive developments, and among them is a rare story of accountability…
Pompeo’s “Rights Commission” Is Worse Than Feared: 7 Concerns to Watch
There is a narrow window to truly examine how the U.S. government can advance, rather than undermine, equal rights for all.
U.S. Security Aid Is a Faith-Based Policy
The US government requires more empirical evidence for aid to help improve livelihoods abroad than for financing weapons used to destroy them.
The Human Rights Lessons from COVID-19: Equality Requires Economic and Social Rights Protections
Minority communities are having to weather the worst of the pandemic. Still, the Trump administration continues its efforts to downplay the significance of economic and social…
Pompeo’s Commission on Unalienable Rights Looks to Be a “Win-Win” for China
“While Secretary Pompeo may view this elevation of one right as complementary to U.S. government criticism of Beijing, in the long run it plays directly into the campaign being…
Former Officials Challenge Pompeo’s Threats to the International Criminal Court
A statement by former U.S. Ambassadors for War Crimes and U.S. Chief Prosecutors.