Hippocrates In San Diego

Europe leads on human rights, exposes US shortcomings

I came across this post on Thich Nhat Hanh’s site for the Bat Nha Monastery in Báo Lôc, Vietnam. This appears to be the second statement to come out of the EP concerning the events at Bat Nha over the last several months, covered early on by Matt Steinglass of GlobalPost. In its resolution, the EP unequivocally lays blame for the violence (and the failure to stop it) on the government of Vietnam, and links support for human rights to current negotiations meant to reestablish ties between Vietnam and Europe.

While I wonder if a resolution from the EP will mean much for those monastics in Bat Nha who have been evicted from their place of worship, it does at least show that Europe continues to lead the Western powers in vocalizing support for human rights. The United States, having a more powerful international voice than the European Parliament, which has yet to establish its legitimacy even on the Continent, would do well to commit itself more forcefully to being a vocal proponent of human rights. Unfortunately the US has suffered a diminution in its ability to stand for human rights causes, as it has been seen in recent years to be a problem child on the international stage. The failure of the Obama administration to fully repudiate the tactics of the Bush era lies in stark contrast to the worldwide euphoria that erupted after Obama’s election.

The world needs the United States to be a leader in actively opposing state-sanctioned human rights violations. While international interference and policing have been proven, over the last two decades, to be unpopular both internationally and domestically, the current administration’s emphasis on diplomacy still carries weight with governments around the globe. Unmistakably, the US has its own house to clean, but an increased transparency in resolving issues raised after the fall of Baghdad — perhaps by publicly admonishing the sins of the past while presenting a plan for preventing their recurrence, along with applying increased diplomatic leverage in cases such as Bat Nha — would provide the US with much-needed international goodwill that would ultimately serve the administration’s goals of reestablishing the US’s position as a global leader.