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.

또한, 대상 bluray 디스크 온디맨드 상품이 세금 포함 1540엔. ※ 태진tj, 금영ky, 그리고 일본 노래방 기기인 조이사운드joysound 번호를 제공합니다. Co › video › categoryachj068얼굴 기의 미학. Discover a worldwide variety of 미사키.

애반갤

알리카

한때 소속사와의 트러블로 은퇴를 고려했지만 현재는 잘 해결하고 작품도 잘 찍는중.. ※행사 종료 후, 발송까지 시간이 걸리는 경우, 주문을 분할해..

애니 워커

Discover a worldwide variety of 미사키. 彼氏と別れて地元へ帰省した同級生が恋人のいる僕と時を忘れて 何度も中出ししたあの青春の記録―。 美谷朱里 ㆍ 2019 년. Mism254 설명 갸루에서 경쟁자인 미라이에게는 비밀이 있었다, 스다 마사키 노래방 번호 모음 tj, ky, joysound 노벨브라이트 노래방 미나미 美波 1 미미나리 miminari 1 미사키 みさき 1.

싶어 알아보니 av 여배우여서 av에 흥미가 생겼다. 이후 40년, 성곽 건축으로서의 그 역사는 목조 건축인 탓에 소실과 재건, 부흥을 반복했습니다. 기동전사 건담 수성의 마녀 는 gundam.

아름다움 숙녀의 큰 엉덩이로 분쇄되는 m. 후배인 마츠자카 토리松坂桃李, 32, 스다 마사키菅田将暉, 28의 끼워팔기 배우バーター俳優로서 젊은 시절을 보내왔었던 것이다. 나토리 노래방 번호 모음 tj, ky, joysound.

야가 마사 미치 사망

백 넘버 노래방 번호 모음 tj, ky, joysound, 나토리 노래방 번호 모음 tj, ky, joysound. 후카다 에이미 출시 20190925 출연 후카다 에이미 제작사 혼나카 레이블 홍나카 감독 마사키미나미토모 재생시간 150 min 장르 미소녀 색녀 단독작품 네토리네토라레 질내사o 시간정지, Com › shop › dvdhnd723 일본,av배우,품번 검색 품번닷컴. 도 m 변태로 조교제의 세 구멍노도 만병통 모로감녀였다.

역사 속의 마쓰야마성 시노노메구치 등성로 입구의 가토 요시아키. 07 출연 야마기시 아이카 제작사 프리미엄 레이블 에레간스 감독 마사키미나미토모 재생시간 180 min 2위 msfh040 교제한 지 15초만에, 등급정보 1 심의일자 20210215 심의번호 2021mf00382 관람등급 19세관람가.

이후 40년, 성곽 건축으로서의 그 역사는 목조 건축인 탓에 소실과 재건, 부흥을 반복했습니다, 2010년 부터 활약한 일본의 명감독 1 정보24. 나토리 노래방 번호 모음 tj, ky, joysound. 또한, 대상 bluray 디스크 온디맨드 상품이 세금 포함 1540엔.

알도라찬

Achj068 『m남의, m남에 의한, m남을 위한 얼굴 기. Ogsm008 작품 줄거리 마사키 미나미토모가 남자 아나르이키와 만나 전립선에서 다시 정낭으로, 멀티플에서 오스가즘으로 레벨업해 간다, 요네즈 켄시 노래방 번호 모음 tj, ky, joysound. Experience realtime purchase of rare kpop merch and korean preloved items on bunjang global site. 그러나 지명받지 못하고 릿쇼대학으로 진학.

야마토 원피스 여캐 야스 Co › video › categoryachj068얼굴 기의 미학. ※행사 종료 후, 발송까지 시간이 걸리는 경우, 주문을 분할해. 마코짱의 정체를 아는 몇 안되는 인물 중 하나이며. 후배인 마츠자카 토리松坂桃李, 32, 스다 마사키菅田将暉, 28의 끼워팔기 배우バーター俳優로서 젊은 시절을 보내왔었던 것이다. Experience realtime purchase of rare kpop merch and korean preloved items on bunjang global site. 암캐씹창내기

야동코리나레드 Discover a worldwide variety of 미사키. 이후 40년, 성곽 건축으로서의 그 역사는 목조 건축인 탓에 소실과 재건, 부흥을 반복했습니다. Experience realtime purchase of rare kpop merch and korean preloved items on bunjang global site. 마코짱의 정체를 아는 몇 안되는 인물 중 하나이며. 남자의 얼굴은 무엇을 위해 존재하고 있습니까. 야동 친남매

애쉬비 누드 Com › shop › dvdhnd723 일본,av배우,품번 검색 품번닷컴. 백 넘버 노래방 번호 모음 tj, ky, joysound. 남자의 얼굴은 무엇을 위해 존재하고 있습니까. 맑은 얼굴로 하는 히쿠히쿠아날의 산기슭 부장은 모두의 고기 변기다. 싶어 알아보니 av 여배우여서 av에 흥미가 생겼다. 애엄마 쏘구다

야노 미션 월드컵 후배인 마츠자카 토리松坂桃李, 32, 스다 마사키菅田将暉, 28의 끼워팔기 배우バーター俳優로서 젊은 시절을 보내왔었던 것이다. 한때 소속사와의 트러블로 은퇴를 고려했지만 현재는 잘 해결하고 작품도 잘 찍는중. Co › video › categoryachj068얼굴 기의 미학. 미나미 美波 1 미미나리 miminari 1 미사키 みさき 1 미세스 스다 마사키 菅田将暉 2 스미카 sumika 4 스우사이도. 마코짱의 정체를 아는 몇 안되는 인물 중 하나이며.

알몸 여자 Hnd723 설명 아이를 만들고 싶은 서큐버스가 시간을 멈추고 인간세계의 여자에게서 남자를 넘겨받아 강제 발기, 연속 사. ※ 태진tj, 금영ky, 그리고 일본 노래방 기기인 조이사운드joysound 번호를 제공합니다. 후카다 에이미 출시 20190925 출연 후카다 에이미 제작사 혼나카 레이블 홍나카 감독 마사키미나미토모 재생. 백 넘버 노래방 번호 모음 tj, ky, joysound. 등급정보 1 심의일자 20210215 심의번호 2021mf00382 관람등급 19세관람가.

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.