Will Human Rights Survive a Trumpian World?

Authoritarian Advances Threaten Rules-Based Order

The global human rights system is in peril. Under relentless pressure from US President Donald Trump, and persistently undermined by China and Russia, the rules-based international order is being crushed, threatening to take with it the architecture human rights defenders have come to rely on to advance norms and protect freedoms. To defy this trend, governments that still value human rights, alongside social movements, civil society, and international institutions, need to form a strategic alliance to push back.

To be fair, the downward spiral predated Trump’s reelection. The democratic wave that began over 50 years ago has given way to what scholars term a “democratic recession.” Democracy is now back to 1985 levels according to some metrics, with 72 percent of the world’s population now living under autocracy. Russia and China are less free today than 20 years ago. And so is the United States.

Of course, democracy is not a panacea for human rights violations; the US and other longtime democracies have their own histories of colonial crimes, racism, abusive justice systems, and wartime atrocities. More recently, authoritarian leaders have exploited public mistrust and anger to win elections and then dismantled the very institutions that brought them to power. Democratic institutions are crucial to represent the will of the people and keep power in check. It’s no surprise that whenever democracy is undermined, rights are too, as evident in recent years in India, Türkiye, the Philippines, El Salvador, and Hungary.

In this context, 2025 may be seen as a tipping point. In just 12 months, the Trump administration has carried out a broad assault on key pillars of US democracy and the global rules-based order, which the US, despite inconsistencies, was, with other states, instrumental in helping to establish.

In short order, Trump’s second-term administration has undermined trust in the sanctity of elections, reduced government accountability, gutted food assistance and healthcare subsidies, attacked judicial independence, defied court orders, rolled back women’s rights, obstructed access to abortion care, undermined remedies for racial harm, terminated programs mandating accessibility for people with disabilities, punished free speech, stripped protections from trans and intersex people, eroded privacy, and used government power to intimidate political opponents, the media, law firms, universities, civil society, and even comedians.

Claiming a risk of “civilizational erasure” in Europe and leaning on racist tropes to cast entire populations as unwelcome in the US, the Trump administration has embraced policies and rhetoric that align with white nationalist ideology. Immigrants and asylum seekers have been subjected to inhumane conditions and degrading treatment; 32 died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in 2025, and as of mid-January 2026, an additional 4 have died. Masked immigration enforcement agents have targeted people of color, using excessive force, terrorizing communities, wrongfully arresting scores of citizens, and, most recently, unjustifiably killing two people in Minneapolis, whose deaths Human Rights Watch has documented.

The US president of course has the authority to tighten US borders and enforce stricter immigration policies. The administration is not, however, entitled to deny legal process to asylum seekers, mistreat undocumented migrants, or unlawfully discriminate. In a well-functioning democracy, no electoral mandate should supersede domestic legislation, constitutional protections, or international human rights law. Trump’s team has repeatedly bypassed these guardrails.

The violations have not stopped at the border. The Trump administration used a 1798 law to send hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to an infamous prison in El Salvador, where they were tortured and sexually abused. Its blatantly unlawful strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific extrajudicially killed more than 120 people whom Trump claims were drug traffickers.

After the US attacked Venezuela and apprehended its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, Trump claimed the US would “run” the country and control its vast oil reserves. Despite paying lip service to human rights concerns under Maduro at the United Nations, Trump has worked with the same repressive apparatus to further US interests. Many Western allies have chosen to stay silent about these lawless moves, perhaps fearing erratic tariffs and blowback to their alliances.

Trump’s foreign policy has upended the foundations of the rules-based order that seeks to advance democracy and human rights, even if imperfectly.

Trump has boasted that he doesn’t “need international law” as a constraint, only his “own morality.” His administration has politicized the US State Department’s annual human rights report, stepped away from the global prohibition on antipersonnel landmines, voiced support for rewriting international rules on asylum, and skipped the UN’s Universal Periodic Review of the US’ human rights record.

His administration withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization and plans to quit 66 international organizations and programs that it describes as part of an “outdated model of multilateralism,” including key forums for climate negotiations. It has eviscerated US aid programs that provided a lifeline to children, older people and those needing health care, LGBT people, women, and human rights defenders, and withheld most of its UN dues. 

Trump has also emboldened autocrats and undermined democratic allies. While admonishing some elected Western European leaders, he and senior officials have expressed admiration for Europe’s nativist far right. He has favored autocrats such as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, while continuing decades of US support to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

His administration has unjustifiably imposed sanctions to punish respected Palestinian human rights organizations, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor and many of its judges, a UN special rapporteur, and for several months, a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and his wife.

The institutional response in the US to Trump’s power grabs has been shockingly muted. Much of Congress, controlled by his own party, has not challenged his supercharged expansion of executive power. The leaders of the US’ most powerful technology companies have made significant donations and sought to placate the president. Some big law firms and prestigious universities have made deals rather than assert their independence, and some media organizations seem afraid to attract the president’s ire.

Has the US switched sides on the human rights playing field? While US engagement with human rights institutions has always been selective, China and Russia have long pursued an illiberal agenda. They stand much to gain from a US government that now expresses open hostility to universal rights. China and Russia remain strategic rivals of the US, but all three countries are now led by leaders who share open disdain for norms and institutions that could constrain their power.

Together, they wield considerable economic, military, and diplomatic power. If they were to consistently act as allies of convenience to erode global rules, they could threaten the entire system. Already, a loose international network of countries such as North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Myanmar, Cuba, and Belarus work in concert with Russia and China. These leaders share very little ideologically but align in undermining human rights and promoting a regressive international agenda. In word and in practice, the US government is now helping them in this endeavor.

The US’ weakening of multilateral institutions also dealt a serious blow to global efforts to prevent or stop grave international crimes. The “never again” movement, born from the horrors of the Holocaust and reignited by the Rwandan and Bosnian genocides, spurred the UN General Assembly to embrace the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in 2005. Meant to guide international intervention to prevent and stop atrocities in tandem with efforts to prosecute and punish serious crimes, R2P made a real difference in places like the Central African Republic and Kenya.

Today, R2P is rarely invoked and the ICC is under siege. In addition to Trump’s far-reaching sanctions, in December 2025 a Moscow court sentenced the ICC prosecutor and eight of its judges to prison terms in absentia. Moreover, despite being ICC fugitives, in 2025, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was welcomed by Donald Trump in Alaska, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Hungary, an ICC member state at the time, at Orban’s invitation.

Twenty years ago, the US government and civil society were instrumental in galvanizing a response to mass atrocities in Darfur. Sudan is burning again, but this time under Trump, with relative impunity. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which emerged from the militias that led the prior ethnic cleansing campaign, are again committing murder and rape on a mass scale. A growing body of evidence indicates that the UAE, a longtime US ally that recently made multi-billion-dollar deals with Trump, is providing the RSF with military support.

In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Israeli armed forces have committed acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity, killing over 70,000 people since the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel and displacing the vast majority of Gaza’s population. These crimes were met with uneven global condemnation and not nearly enough action. Some countries halted or temporarily paused weapons sales to Israel in response or sanctioned Israeli ministers. Trump, however, continued a long-standing US policy of almost unconditional support to Israel, even as the International Court of Justice is weighing allegations of genocide and has issued binding orders under the Genocide Convention to protect Palestinians’ rights.

Trump announced in February an alarming US plan to transform Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” free of Palestinians, which would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing. As implementation of the 20-point Trump peace plan has stalled, the administration has further normalized the dispossession of Palestinians through its failure to publicly protest Israel’s regular killing of those approaching the “yellow line” that now divides Gaza, its ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes, and unlawful restrictions on humanitarian aid.

In Ukraine, Trump’s peace efforts have consistently downplayed Russia’s responsibility for serious violations. These include indiscriminate bombing, coercing Ukrainians in occupied areas to serve in the Russian military, systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, and the use of quadcopter drones to hunt and kill civilians. Rather than applying meaningful pressure on Putin to end these crimes, Trump publicly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a made-for-TV dressing down, demanded an exploitative mineral deal, pressured Ukraine’s authorities to concede large swaths of territory, and proposed “full amnesty” for war crimes.

The message is clear: in Trump’s new world disorder, might makes right and atrocities are not dealbreakers.

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Positive vibes dance videos compilation monica.. 이예담 전후 방예담 작업실 원본 및 이서한 영상 디시 stroppy mac check out the original art workspace of bang yedam 방예담 and seohans video on d.. 방예담은 2013년 4월 종영한 sbs ‘일요일이 좋다 k팝스타 시즌2’에서 최종 2위에 오..

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방예담은 그간 보여줬던 외모와 다른 모습으로 눈길을 끌었다. 얼굴선이 굵은 느낌이 있지만 전체적인 이미지는 부드럽다. 한눈에 보는 오늘 방송가요 뉴스 방예담 서울뉴스1 황미현 기자 가수 방예담이 새 앨범으로 돌아온다. 방예담 bangyedam バンイェダム 이 정보는 ai에 의해 생성되었으며 관련 없는 결과가 표시될 수도 있습니다.

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ㅇㅇ 이미지 나이많고 키작고 실력도 없고 얼굴도 존잘이 아니야. Com › news › issue방예담, 외모변화 ‘웃음 꽃’&mldr. 5일 yg엔터테인먼트 측은 방예담을 포함한 7명의 연습생의 얼굴을 공개했다. 본관은 온양 방씨이며, 키는 173cm이고 혈액형은 a형이다. 보석함 서바시절 시청자들이 한결같이 쟤는 아이돌할 얼굴이 아니다 이하이처럼 솔로가수로 빼야된다 말했는데 일절 무시하더니 기어코 아이돌 시켜서. 아버지가 cm송과 애니송의 대표 주자인 방대식이다.

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지디처럼 작사작곡 능력 있는것처럼 구라까고테디가 만든 곡에 방예담 물 한방울 첨가시키고짜잔. 방예담 못생김을 조금이라도 가릴려고 고군분투하는 yg, 방예담의 작업실에서의 일상을 엿보실 수 있습니다. ㅇㅇ 이미지 나이많고 키작고 실력도 없고 얼굴도 존잘이 아니야.

방예담은 2013년 4월 종영한 sbs ‘일요일이 좋다 k팝스타 시즌2’에서 최종 2위에 오. 외모 편집 눈매가 잘 트여있고 얇은 쌍꺼풀이 있다. 방예담 bangyedam バンイェダム 이 정보는 ai에 의해 생성되었으며 관련 없는 결과가 표시될 수도 있습니다.

민경 노출

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진짜 저 예담이가 된거임 역대급 정변이라, 방예담 못생김을 조금이라도 가릴려고 고군분투하는 yg, 걔가 지금까지 미디어노출이 몇번이었는데 할거면 진작했다 ㅇㅇ59.

아마도를 붙인 이유는 아직 결과가 나오지 않았다거나 한 이유는 아니었다. 지디처럼 작사작곡 능력 있는것처럼 구라까고테디가 만든 곡에 방예담 물 한방울 첨가시키고짜잔, 걔가 지금까지 미디어노출이 몇번이었는데 할거면 진작했다 ㅇㅇ59. Com › mgallery › board방예담 못생김을 조금이라도 가릴려고 고군분투하는 yg엔터테인먼트. 연예계소식 8,450개의 글 목록열기 activity. Yg 방예담 밀고가더니 꼴좋네 yg 연습생 마이너 갤러리.

한눈에 보는 오늘 방송가요 뉴스 방예담 서울뉴스1 황미현 기자 가수 방예담이 새 앨범으로 돌아온다, 본관은 온양 방씨이며, 키는 173cm이고 혈액형은 a형이다. 방예담은 13일 0시 커밍순 이미지를 공개하며 오는 29일 컴백 소식을 전했다. 진짜 저 예담이가 된거임 역대급 정변이라, 방예담의 가족은 아버지 방대식과 어머니 정미영이다. 아마도를 붙인 이유는 아직 결과가 나오지 않았다거나 한 이유는 아니었다.

미츠리 온천 디시 16 조회 1734 추천 120 1 이미지이거 존나 웃기네 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 방갤러 59. K팝 스타 시즌5 예선을 통과했지만, 개인 사정으로 참가를 포기한 후 연습생으로 뽑혔다. 눈매가 잘 트여있고 얇은 쌍꺼풀이 있다. 방예담은 서울신석초등학교와 광성중학교를 졸업하고, 서울공연예술고등학교 실용음악과에서도 졸업했다. 16 조회 1734 추천 120 1 이미지이거 존나 웃기네 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 방갤러 59. 미주 유재석 디시

미츠 리 오바나이 결혼 방예담의 작업실에서의 일상을 엿보실 수 있습니다. 한눈에 보는 오늘 방송가요 뉴스 방예담 서울뉴스1 황미현 기자 가수 방예담이 새 앨범으로 돌아온다. Results for 부산mdma효과허브액상퉬 𝐎𝐞𝐲𝟴𝟵𝟮. 공개된 사진에는 감각적인 의상을 입고 길 위에. 지디처럼 작사작곡 능력 있는것처럼 구라까고테디가 만든 곡에 방예담 물 한방울 첨가시키고짜잔. 문월 다시보기 디시

미연 deepfake 한눈에 보는 오늘 방송가요 뉴스 방예담 서울뉴스1 황미현 기자 가수 방예담이 새 앨범으로 돌아온다. 방예담은 서울신석초등학교와 광성중학교를 졸업하고, 서울공연예술고등학교 실용음악과에서도 졸업했다. Com › bangyedam_0257bang yedam @bangyedam_0257 instagram photos and videos. 과거 yg엔터테인먼트 소속 그룹인 트레저 의 메인보컬을 맡았었다. 일반 방예담 못생김을 조금이라도 가릴려고 고군분투하는 yg엔터테인먼트 ㅇㅇ39. 미연 코

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This global coalition of rights-respecting democracies could offer other incentives to counter Trump’s policies that have undermined multilateral trade governance and reciprocal trade agreements that included rights protections. Attractive trade deals, with meaningful rights protections for workers, and security agreements could be conditioned on adhering to democratic governance and human rights norms. Democracy already comes with benefits. While autocracies have generally fostered conflict, economic stagnation, or kleptocracy, as evidenced in multiple academic studies, including the work of the Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu, democratic institutions reliably yield economic growth. 

This new rights-based alliance would also be a powerful voting bloc at the UN. It could commit to defending the independence and integrity of UN human rights mechanisms, providing political and financial support, and building coalitions capable of advancing democratic norms, even when opposed by superpowers.

Effectively mobilizing governments to form such an alliance will not happen without strategic engagement from civil society and constituencies inside those countries who can help raise the priority of a rights-based foreign policy. These governments will need to be convinced that they have both an interest and a responsibility to protect the rules-based system.

Projects of this nature are bubbling up. Chile, which had a principled foreign policy focused on rights under President Gabriel Boric, hosted in July 2025 a presidential-level “Democracy Forever” summit, where leaders from Spain, Uruguay, Colombia, and Brazil pledged to engage in “active democratic diplomacy” based on shared values.

The Hague Group, led by Malaysia, South Africa, and Colombia, formed in January 2025 in “defense of international law” and in solidarity with Palestinians. Over 70 countries from all regions signed a joint statement defending multilateralism at the UN. Earlier, in 2017, former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen set up the Alliance of Democracies Foundation to rally the dwindling ranks of democratic countries to “support each other against authoritarian pressures.”

Whatever its precise contours, an alliance of rights-respecting democracies would offer a hopeful counterpoint to the authoritarian trope of China’s and Russia’s leaders standing alongside North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, observing military hardware in a parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in September. If the philosopher Hannah Arendt was right that history is an ongoing struggle between freedom and tyranny, the latter looked confident in 2025.

Yet, even in the worst of times, the idea of freedom and human rights is enduring. People power remains an engine for change. In the US, “No Kings” marches have drawn millions, protesters in Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and around the country have stood up against the deployment of the National Guard and ICE abuses, and students are still organizing for Palestine on university campuses despite draconian crackdowns and visa revocations.

Buoyed by popular resistance, South Korean parliamentarians impeached their president to prevent him from grabbing power through martial law. Grassroots aid efforts by Sudan’s emergency response rooms, Hong Kong’s fire relief, Sri Lanka’s cyclone relief community kitchens, and Ukrainian mutual aid and solidarity collectives represent the best of this trend.

In 2025, Gen Z protests against corruption, inadequate public services, and poor governance in Nepal, Indonesia, and Morocco brought to the forefront the need for governments to listen to their youth and tackle corruption and inequality. But as the difficulties of restoring rights in Bangladesh after years under an authoritarian government illustrates, gains won through public mobilization can easily be lost unless democratic participation and free expression remain unassailable.