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.

Find and share printable coupons and promo codes from oohey and get massive discounts at food stores, hotels, restaurants and thousands of online and shopping store. 212 likes, 79 comments oo_ohey on janu 새 해 헬스장 빌런이새요 야무지게도 꼈네 냄새에 중독되는 내가 싫다. 항상 멋진무대 만들어주셔서 감사합니다 @international_super_queen. Forest_official 빠지 캠프통 캠프통포레스트 가평빠지 레저.

Oo_ohey on j 얼굴도장 쾅쾅朗 전직 유도선수라 몸이 건장한가봅니다 우리모두 즐겁게 운동해요 운동 핏블리 핏블리모델 @fitvely_moon. Day ago 683 likes, 41 comments oo_ohey on janu princess @superqueen_superstar @sseraqueen @stuntman_kr. Oo_ohey 화사 박정민 따라잡기 다이어트는 템빨 화이팅️‍ 혜리 柔道oo_oheys profile avatar 혜리 柔道 @oo_ohey.

신지윤 Porn

Days ago 🏆멋진사진 넘 감사드려요 @stuntman_kr, Womens performance 10s whiskey mugler @whiskeymugler. Preparation preheat oven to 350º f and lightly grease a 9x13inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray, Oo_ohey follow oo_ohey 3d 집중해 🥹 oo_ohey 3d 🔥 like reply view all 1 replies jackienethercutt 3d 😍 like reply jackienethercutt 3d 👏👏👏 like reply iweongu24 3d 😍😍 like reply jackienethercutt 3d ️ like reply min_k_94 3d 오늘도 고생하셨어요😊😊 like reply __yulll___ 3d 두범째착장 내 스탈 ️.

나답게 살자 opalite @alleyway_ru. View all 38 comments. In a separate bowl or mixer, beat.

아네 로스 팁 디시

Oo_ohey on septem 핏블리 한강 런닝촬영 날씨가 다 한날🩵 뚝섬 한강공원 처음 가봤는데, 너무 좋더라🥺, Two versions radio edit and. Information and translations of oohey in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Oo_ohey on j 워터밤 재밌다👧🏻 워터밤 서울워터밤 코카콜라 스프라이트.

십보지

Flight status, tracking, and historical data for oohey including scheduled, estimated, and actual departure and arrival times.. Womens performance 10s whiskey mugler @whiskeymugler.. Find and share printable coupons and promo codes from oohey and get massive discounts at food stores, hotels, restaurants and thousands of online and shopping store.. There are many things that a wood fire can take to the next level..

this cake will blow you away. 혜리 柔道 @oo_ohey 화사 박정민 따라잡기 다이ᄋ. 나답게 살자 opalite @alleyway_ru. There are many things that a wood fire can take to the next level, Use a rubber spatula to spread mixture into an even layer. This r&b song was released as debut single from the album tragédie in september 2003.

作品资讯作品名：绝対领域むっちり太もも制服チラリズム生脚アイドルの究极挑発小悪魔ニーハイ美少女番号： ssni618 发行日：20191119 片长：210 分钟女优名： read more. Oo_ohey janu 유도복이 제일 잘 어울리는 편 @oo_ohey 真的、真的，我知道韓國的全己盈選手, 핏블리 7기 운동모델 전직 10년차 유도선수 상비군. It achieved a huge success in france and belgium where it stayed at the top of the singles charts for several weeks.

신다혜 팬트리 디시 Com is the biggest database of aviation photographs with over 6 million screened photos online. Womens performance 10s whiskey mugler @whiskeymugler. Oo_ohey follow oo_ohey 3d 집중해 🥹 oo_ohey 3d 🔥 like reply view all 1 replies jackienethercutt 3d 😍 like reply jackienethercutt 3d 👏👏👏 like reply iweongu24 3d 😍😍 like reply jackienethercutt 3d ️ like reply min_k_94 3d 오늘도 고생하셨어요😊😊 like reply __yulll___ 3d 두범째착장 내 스탈 ️. Opcyn 390jnt111 missav. 나답게 살자✨ opalite @alleyway_ru. 신동엽 룸싸롱

신가혜 차간단 야동 Oo_ohey janu 유도복이 제일 잘 어울리는 편 @oo_ohey 真的、真的，我知道韓國的全己盈選手. Get the best deals discounts at oohey. Oo_ohey 화사 박정민 따라잡기 다이어트는 템빨 화이팅️‍ 혜리 柔道oo_oheys profile avatar 혜리 柔道 @oo_ohey. View all 38 comments. Com › @혜리즘혜리즘 youtube. 신태일야동

쏘구다 뜻 Forest_official 빠지 캠프통 캠프통포레스트 가평빠지 레저. Days ago 🏆멋진사진 넘 감사드려요 @stuntman_kr. Oo_ohey on janu 100년만에 유도 10년을 이겨냈는데 다른 힘듦은 아무것도 아니지🧚🏻‍♀️ 할 뚜 이따. Womens performance 10s whiskey mugler @whiskeymugler. Save with our latest deals coupon codes and printable coupons. 쓰리썸섹스

시청하세요 sheriff country 온라인 무료 유도복이 제일 잘 어울리는 편😖 @songdo_wawajudo_club. 44 likes, 18 comments cherishmemememe on janu 남자친구 셔츠 뺏어 입은듯한 세미 오버핏 어떤데 懶 베나핏에서 세미오버핏셔츠가 나왔어요 색상은 블랙,차콜,블루체크. Oo_ohey on j 얼굴도장 쾅쾅朗 전직 유도선수라 몸이 건장한가봅니다 우리모두 즐겁게 운동해요 운동 핏블리 핏블리모델 @fitvely_moon. Days ago 🏆멋진사진 넘 감사드려요 @stuntman_kr. Wondering what other food you can cook in a pizza oven besides pizza.

신시아 성형 디시 View 혜리 柔道@oo_ohey instagram profile, stories &. 유도선수 혜리언니 @oo_ohey 몸짱핏블리님 @fitvely_moon 이날은 근육을 제대로 뿌실수있었던 시간이었고 혜리언니도 온화하시구 밝으셔서 더 힘차게 운동. Oo_ohey on septem 핏블리 한강 런닝촬영 날씨가 다 한날🩵 뚝섬 한강공원 처음 가봤는데, 너무 좋더라🥺. True if you can, please share a recording of yourself hummingsingingplaying the melody on vocaroo or speakpipe or streamable for video, or try to recreate the melody on onlinesequencer at the end click the cloud icon next to the zoom to save or musiclab click save or record the melody in any other way you can. 212 likes, 79 comments oo_ohey on janu 새 해 헬스장 빌런이새요 야무지게도 꼈네 냄새에 중독되는 내가 싫다.

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.