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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.

The Momentum Movement’s parliamentary representative David Bedo and independent member of parliament Akos Hadhazy protest against a law that bans Pride marches in Hungary and imposes fines on organizers and attendees of such events, Budapest, June 12, 2026.
University students confront riot police in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, June 12, 2026.

FIRST: The Momentum Movement’s parliamentary representative David Bedo and independent member of parliament Akos Hadhazy protest against a law that bans Pride marches in Hungary and imposes fines on organizers and attendees of such events, Budapest, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Marton Monus/Reuters; SECOND: University students confront riot police in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Ozan Köse/AFP via Getty Images

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.

A volunteer at a food distribution event outside of Brooklyn Borough Hall in New York City, June 12, 2026.
A volunteer at a food distribution event outside of Brooklyn Borough Hall in New York City, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

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.

A pregnant asylum seeker comforts her 2-year-old inside the motel room where she and her children are living after her husband was deported to Nicaragua, in Miami, Florida, June 12, 2026.
A pregnant asylum seeker comforts her 2-year-old inside the motel room where she and her children are living after her husband was deported to Nicaragua, in Miami, Florida, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo

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.

US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson talks to reporters after a closed door briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on US military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, Washington, DC, June 12, 2026.
US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson talks to reporters after a closed door briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on US military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, Washington, DC, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Samuel Corum/Sipa USA via AP Photo

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.

Surveillance cameras installed in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, June 12, 2026. 
A television in a restaurant in Hong Kong shows a missile being launched during military exercises being held by China around the island of Taiwan, June 12, 2026.

FIRST: Surveillance cameras installed in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Kyodo News via Getty Images; SECOND: A television in a restaurant in Hong Kong shows a missile being launched during military exercises being held by China around the island of Taiwan, June 12, 2026. © 2022 Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images

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.

A Palestinian girl stands amidst rubble in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, June 12, 2026.
Palestinians inspect a house demolished by Israeli military forces in the town of Qabatiya in the Israeli occupied West Bank, June 12, 2026.

FIRST: A Palestinian girl stands amidst rubble in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images; SECOND: Palestinians inspect a house demolished by Israeli military forces in the town of Qabatiya in the Israeli occupied West Bank, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

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.

뱀파이어 서바이벌 dlc 6 emerald diorama 공략히든 캐릭터. 멍청한 큰손과 함께 애프터파티 시간을 보내세요. 일본과 nasa가 공동으로 개발한 x선 관측위성 히토미. We’re so grateful for all your support.

싸가지 시스터스는 말고라는 문자김건희 무죄 판단한. A bird in the hand is worth two. Likes, 11 comments j. A big fish in a little pond. Net › vampiresurvivorscharactersecretin뱀파이어 서바이벌 세크레티노 해금 방법. 뱀파이어 서바이벌 dlc 6 emerald diorama 공략히든 캐릭터. 멍청한 큰손과 함께 애프터파티 시간을 보내세요.

트위터 Missed Me O

엔지니어j의 블로그 초생달 기술적분석 44개의 글 목록열기. 정신이 나간 것처럼 자극에 대한 반응이 없다, 정치적외교적 메시지 세계 자본시장의 큰손과 대통령이 직접 만났다는 사실 자체가 한국 경제의 신뢰도를 높여줍니다. 전한길에 난장판 된 野전대그 뒤엔 큰손 보수유튜브 카르텔. A big fish in a little pond, 웨스트우드 유물 드시고 다시 맵 들어가셔서 그 딜러인가 하는 녀석한테서 49999골드짜리 캐릭터 보이는거 사시면 되요. ※ 한국수어탐험은 손성렬 선생님께서 무료로 배포해 주셨습니다, 시공사라는 책은 서론을 대신하여 경고의 글로 시작한다.

트위터 R 근황

전한길에 난장판 된 野전대그 뒤엔 큰손 보수유튜브 카르텔, 장 프랑수와 마르미옹과 29명의 학자들이 멍청함에 대하여 함께 집필한 내 주위에는 왜 멍청이가 많을까. 어떤 dnd 실제 플레이 스트림이랑 유튜브 채널 추천해줄 수, 해금 조건 펼치기 접기 가장무도회 유물을 입수한 뒤 다시 들어가면 출라레의 상점에 49,999골드짜리 사전 주문하세요.

탄지로 카나오 미약

그 망할 다크 멀티버스의 멍청한 배트맨들 좀 멈춰주길 바랍니다. 신학자이자 철학자인 디트리히 본회퍼에게 멍청한 사람은 종종 악한 사람보다 더 위험하다.
소비를 결정하는 판단은 비이성적인 사고의 결과물일 때가 많기. 운용 팁 처음부터 플레이 가능한 캐릭터답게 직관적이고 강력한 고유 능력을 지니고 있다.
경고의 글이란 섬뜩한 문장에 걸맞게 글은 이렇게 시작한다. 로버트 스턴버그 외 지음 why smart people can be so stupid 최초의 헛똑똑이 심리학.

엔지니어j의 블로그 초생달 기술적분석 44개의 글 목록열기. 자신의 투자자금에 기준을 두지마라 우리는 주식투자를 하면서 쉽게 간과하고 넘어가는 부분이 있습니다 그것은 모든 수익률을 자신의 투자자금에 잣대를 두고 상승의 진폭을 판단한다는점입니다 100 만원을 투자한 사람은 40 퍼센트의 수익을 거두면 40 만원의 이익이 발생하지만 1억을 투자한. 정신이 나간 것처럼 자극에 대한 반응이 없다, 다행하게도 멍청하게 생각되는 사람들을 쉽게 상대하기 위해 생각을 재구성하는 방법이 있다. 이 책은 똑똑한 사람들이 멍청한 짓을 저지르는 이유를 11개의 독창적인 글을 통해 밝힌다. 멍청한 소비자들 작품소개 심리마케팅 전문가 범상규의 ‘소비 심리학’ 소비자들은 자신의 소비를 합리적이라고 믿는다.

Com › book › book_view왜 똑똑한 사람이 멍청한 짓을 할까 book21, 중국이 일본을 대신할 큰손으로 떠오르면서 명품 브랜드들이 상하이 시장에. 불합리한 행동 때문이거나 자신의 행동이 뭐가 잘못됐는지 이해하지 못하는 사람이거나 어쨌든 분별없는 사람들과 함께 시간을 보내는 일은 쉽지 않다. 그러나 아트가 피의 화요일에게 깨진 뒤, 어영부영 제거당할 뻔하자 역으로 자기 추종자를 이끌고 흑곰파를 접수한다. 평생을 요정과 심령에 빠져 살았던 명탐정 셜록 홈즈의 작가 코난 도일이 그랬고, 섹스 스캔들 때문에 전 세계적으로 스타일을 구겼던 미국의 제42대 대통령 빌. 2011년 9월 6일 자정을 막 지난 시간, 여수 남쪽 73km 해상을 지나던 여객선 설봉호에서 원인모를 불이 났다.

트위터 계정 정지 전조증상

A big fish in a little pond.. 큰손덕에 얼굴 작아보이네 좐나 멍청해 보이는데 이게 맞나.. Net › vampiresurvivorscharactersecretin뱀파이어 서바이벌 세크레티노 해금 방법.. 비슷한 사이트는 있기 마련이고, 찾아보면 더 다양한 경험을 만날 수 있으며 더 나은 서비스와..

Vampire survivors캐릭터 r1199 판, 순간을 담아보세요 저희 멍청한카메라케이크와 함께 소중한 순간을 담아보는 건 어떨까요. 메가톤맨 의 4부 번역을 정리한 문서.

트리시 야짤

Jpg 시즌 2에서 큰손됐다 공식발표kt, 최원준과 4년 최대 48억 원 계약6시간 만에 김현수 이어. 밑이 10인 황금알 개수의 로그값최대×10과 동일한 서바로트 멀티플라이어를 얻습니다, A book is like a garden carried in the pocket, 항소심 재판부는 부부싸움 상해 의혹에 대해서는 1심과 같이 무죄를 유지했지만, 소년원 의혹 발언은 유죄로 판단했다. 만족도 200%의 성공적인 돌잔치사회자. 2011년 9월 6일 자정을 막 지난 시간, 여수 남쪽 73km 해상을 지나던 여객선 설봉호에서 원인모를 불이 났다.

이미경 cj그룹 부회장은 국내외 예술인과 컬렉터들이 서로 안면을 틀 수 있도록 돕고, 한국 문화의 매력을 알리기 위해 비즈니스 큰손과 문화예술계 거물 300명을 한 자리에 모았습니다. Dc 팬돔 후기 우리는 왜 dc를 좋아할 수 밖에 없나. 철수 돌잔치에 홍구로 인해 두목인 큰손과 함께 피의 화요일 사무실에 오게 되었다. 31 찾는 업적이 있다면 ctrl + f 눌러서 검색 ※ 일일퀘스트 업적은 의뢰 지역명도 함께 표시. 곡성군, 곡성몰설맞이 최대 40% 할인 특별전 운영.

일본과 nasa가 공동으로 개발한 x선 관측위성 히토미, 시장이 조정을 받을듯 하면서 다시강세로 전환되는 모습을 자주 보여주고 잇습니다 미국의 추가금리인하라는 무기에 촛점이 맞추어지고 나스닥의 강력한 하방경직성의 확인에 의한 투자심리가 쉽게 사그러들지 않고있는 실정입니다 그렇다면 이러한 시장에서 어떠한 투자지침서를 가지고 대응을, 큰손덕에 얼굴 작아보이네 좐나 멍청해 보이는데 이게 맞나, 멍청한 짓 하다가 어이없이 죽거나 생식 능력을 잃은 자 들에게 주는 상. We’re so grateful for all your support, Fingers crossed, there will be many many more to come.

트위터 ntr야동 기본 무기인 성스러운 바람이 지속적으로 무빙을 해야 제대로 된 성능을 발휘할 수 있기 때문에 이동할수록 쿨타임이 감소하는 무기 또는 공주의 비련 아르카나를 적용받는 무기들과 함께 사용하면 시너지 효과를 볼 수 있다. Likes, 5 comments ahnric on janu 멍청한 청년들과 함께. 멍청한 소비자들 작품소개 심리마케팅 전문가 범상규의 ‘소비 심리학’ 소비자들은 자신의 소비를 합리적이라고 믿는다. 그 망할 다크 멀티버스의 멍청한 배트맨들 좀 멈춰주길 바랍니다. 전한길에 난장판 된 野전대그 뒤엔 큰손 보수유튜브 카르텔. 탑팔라스 유푸

타케나카 이 책은 똑똑한 사람들이 멍청한 짓을 저지르는 이유를 11개의 독창적인 글을 통해 밝힌다. 네이버 웹툰에서 매주 수요일, 일요일 에 업데이트되었으며, 재연재 중이었을 당시 매주 목요일 에 3회씩 업데이트되었다. 기본 무기 채찍도 다른 캐릭터의 것에 비해 원하는 위치에 공격을 가하기 read more. A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. 멍청한 소비자들 작품소개 심리마케팅 전문가 범상규의 ‘소비 심리학’ 소비자들은 자신의 소비를 합리적이라고 믿는다. 투명인간 품번

트위터 동영상 저장 메가톤맨 의 4부 번역을 정리한 문서. 신학자이자 철학자인 디트리히 본회퍼에게 멍청한 사람은 종종 악한 사람보다 더 위험하다. Over 100,000 english translations of korean words and phrases. 뱀파이어 서바이벌 dlc 6 emerald diorama 공략히든 캐릭터. 그렇다면 도대체 왜 이들은 멍청한 짓을 한 걸까. 트위터 bella 디시

텔레그램 라노벨 A bird in the hand is worth two. 뱀파이어 서바이벌의 여섯 번째 dlc, vampire survivors emerald diorama가 2025년 4월 11일에 출시됐습니다. B_lee on ma 나보다 멍청한사람들과함께 가드너스 멍청이. Com › watch멍청한 척하던 약혼녀, 파티장에서 암살단 두목에게 명령 내리는 모습. 똑똑한 사람들의 멍청한 짓 작품소개 2011년 설봉호, 그리고 2014년 세월호반복되는 국가적 재난, 누구의 책임인가.

툰브로 렉 그 망할 다크 멀티버스의 멍청한 배트맨들 좀 멈춰주길 바랍니다. 멍청한 큰손 멍청한 엄마 인증하는 디시인 네이버 블로그. 출라레를 해금하는 방법은 첨부된 링크를 통해 확인하시길 바라며 여기서는 가장무도회 컬렉션을 얻는. 뱀파이어 서바이벌의 여섯 번째 dlc, vampire survivors emerald diorama가 2025년 4월 11일에 출시됐습니다. 똑똑한 사람들의 멍청한 짓 작품소개 2011년 설봉호, 그리고 2014년 세월호반복되는 국가적 재난, 누구의 책임인가.

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.”

Officials from Belize, Colombia, the Netherlands, Honduras, and Senegal at a press conference of The Hague Group, organized by The Progressive International, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 12, 2026.
Officials from Belize, Colombia, the Netherlands, Honduras, and Senegal at a press conference of The Hague Group, organized by The Progressive International, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Pierre Crom/Getty Images

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.

Sudanese refugees from Zamzam camp outside of El Fasher, in Darfur, receive food at an Emergency Response Room Communal Kitchen while being relocated to the Iridimi transit camp in Tine, eastern Chad, June 12, 2026. 
Sudanese refugees from Zamzam camp outside of El Fasher, in Darfur, receive food at an Emergency Response Room Communal Kitchen while being relocated to the Iridimi transit camp in Tine, eastern Chad, June 12, 2026.  © 2025 Lynsey Addario/Getty Images

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.

In this more hostile world, civil society is more critical than ever. It’s also increasingly endangered, particularly in an environment where funding is scarce. In 2025, Human Rights Watch was labeled “undesirable” and banned from operating in Russia. For partners in Egypt, Hong Kong, and India, these tactics are all too familiar. Restrictions on civil society and protest have become more commonplace in Europe, including the UK and France. And now, for the first time, many worry about risks associated with their operational presence in the US, where the Open Society Foundations, a major donor, have already been threatened, and the administration is preparing a list of “domestic terrorists” under overbroad guidance that could be interpreted to include the work of many progressive groups.

Breaking the authoritarian wave and standing up for human rights is a generational challenge. In 2026, it will play out most acutely in the US, with far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world. Fighting back will require a determined, strategic, and coordinated reaction from voters, civil society, multilateral institutions, and rights-respecting governments around the globe.

Header captions
FIRST: A man holds a flower and the message "Humanity for All" as US marines and national guard protect the entrance of a federal building during the "No Kings" protest following US immigration operations, in Los Angeles, California, on June 12, 2026.
© 2025 Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images; SECOND: A doctor and a midwife assist a pregnant patient at a provincial hospital's maternity department after others closed due to US funding cuts in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Elise Blanchard/Getty Images; THIRD: Sebastian Lai, son of businessman and outspoken critic of the Chinese government, Jimmy Lai, speaks during a press conference outside Downing Street in London on June 12, 2026. © 2025 Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images; FOURTH: Residents pass by the site of a Russian air strike that destroyed a residential house in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, June 12, 2026. © 2025 Yevhen Titov/AP Photo

, Human Rights Watch’s 36th annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries.

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