Critics Hear Political Tone as Pompeo Calls Out Diplomatic Rivals Over Human Rights

Human rights has always been political. The U.S. enthusiastically criticizes enemy states for HR violations, but rarely its allies, much less itself. When Iran or China crack down on HR, we're always vocal. When Israeli runs an illegal apartheid regime in Palestine, we don't care. When their snipers kill Gaza protesters, journalists covering the protests, and medics responding to injured protesters, we don't care (this happened in 2018). When Pol Pot carries out genocide in the name of communism, the U.S. in outraged. When at the same time a far-right anti-communist regime carries out a comparable genocide in East Timor, it doesn't even make the news. Human rights is purely political, except of course for the NGOs that consistently document HR violations in every country. Just look at the election cycle: Bernie is demonized and nailed with fake outrage for criticizing Cuba for being authoritarian, but having the audacity to mention that it's good that their kids can read. Where's the outrage over the recent U.S. backed overthrew of a democratically-elected and un-authoritarian, highly successful left-wing gov't in Bolivia, and the subsequent massacres carried out by the U.S. backed right-wing regime that's now illegitimately in power? That's right: there isn't any.

Health is a basic human right. This is where the US is the worst violator.

The reality is, even if the report was being summarized in the best possible light by Pompeo, given that Trump and his administration lie so frequently with such utter abandon, that even anything true said by them must be treated with suspicion. All work produced by this administration even when it is good work is now suspect because Trump and his cronies lie so frequently. The rotten apples have ruined the entire bunch.

Interesting to see where the U.S. ranks in prison population world-wide. Not even considering the issue of conditions in our prisons. Maybe Pompeo should look at his own country before criticising others.

He's not necessarily wrong. The problem is that this is part of such of a mish mosh foreign policy that it's impossible to separate this from the multitude of wrong moves that Pompeo/Trump insist on making. If there were an overarching approach or policy (combined with not gutting the entire State Department) it'd be much more palatable.

A nation that mass incarcerates people at its southern border without following its own laws regarding asylum, that imprisons thousands without due process, and which willfully separates children from their families, has no moral or logical standing on which to judge the civil rights of other countries.

I don’t suppose a developed country that separates children from their parents and then deports the parents would make the list either.

I'm often amused when Americans feign concern over human rights whilst separating children from their parents that are legally seeking asylum. Closing travel from countries that don't have Trump resorts. Voting down any relief to citizens affected by the spread of the coronavirus. Spare us this nonsense.

None of those will change until forced, America would be better served to worry more about her own arena, than any half-way around the World! Democracy needs to be earned from within, NOT poorly implanted by the United States!

The State Department gets weaponized. If you want to get on the list, just reject American hegemony.

Wow, America’s junior dictator demands a group of South American countries to change. What? T have to model their government on the present USA system which is corrupt at its core, incompetent and set to self destruct any time now? Not a surprise that a government copied on the “Trump self destruct” system is never mentioned. What else can you expect from failed bombastic preacher.

How did Russia and Saudi Arabia & North Korea not make the list? Oh yeah, friends of Trump.

Perhaps under Trump's leadership, The United States should be included in the annual review.

Pompeo's concern for human rights would be more believable if he adds Saudi Arabia's MBS, Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong-un, Turkey's Recip Erdogan, India's Narendra Modi, Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Israel's Bibi Netanyahu to his list of offenders.

Saudi Arabia should be #1. Justice for Jamal and Yemen!

Unfortunately, by omitting certain obvious human-rights abusing countries, our administration has zero credibility on this topic.

What a joke, try dissent in Russia and see what happens! They belong up there. Where is Mexico? A anti-drug cartel article could get a journalist killed by the cartel or the Mexican police and women get murdered and abused by the thousands every year.

It is hard to take this stupid man seriously .

Start looking for a new House in Kansas, Mike. You bet on the wrong useless Moron. NOVEMBER.

George W Bush's Axis of Evil, amended?

No Saudi, NK, Russia, Egypt?? Gob-smacked. Transparently duplicitous.

It seems clear that Palestinian human rights don't matter. It seems that women's rights in Saudi Arabia and Israel don't matter. The bias is showing Mr. Pompous Pompeo.

The goal of every republican in any office no matter how small is to make that office trivial and the work that comes from it appear to be unreliable. They want to destroy faith in rational and scientific certainty and all of its products. You can't subjugate and exploit educated thinking people.

You can point fingers about Human Rights abuses yet we continue to do billions of dollars in trade with China?

USA policy was illogical and biased before Trump as well.

And Mike - We pray for a day when U.S. government officials can speak freely about the rampant corruption Trump and his sycophants are committing in the U.S.

Seems he failed to include Kansas on his list. Interesting.

Turkey has way more dirt on Saudi Arabia and Trump. They had ammunition in form of audio bits of Jamal Khasoggi's brutal murder. Right from Gina Haspel to Steve Mnunchin, everybody went in to placate them and not release the evidence. US must have given them a lot of concessions to not talk about it. Protest about the S400 purchase from Russia but not make it a big deal. Get out of Northwest Syria and cede control to Turkey. The list just goes on...

What is absolutely hilarious here is the glaring omission of Saudi Arabia...the elephant in the room when Pompeo made this speech. This country is notorious for its flagrant disregard for human rights and dissent. Let us remember Jamal Khashoggi. Why is the US protecting them? Of course it is all about financial and strategic partnerships. They can abuse, dismember and torture activists without due process, just as long as they are of value to the US, which they have been for awhile. Pompeo's grand motherhood statements about human rights is empty and bereft with this omission.

One wonders how well the US would do in the report if the same criteria were applied to it?

Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black. It might be best if we look inward at our own foibles when it come to treating people, especially people of color, with dignity and respect. Much work is needed in our own home.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black... “their governments had systematically attacked political protesters, oppressed free speech and journalists and, in some cases, spied on their citizens.” This is the Trump administration.

Of course this is politicized. Everything in trump’s corrupt and self serving cesspool is politicized. Take one look at trump’s response to the global outbreak of coronavirus. Trump cares about one thing, himself.

These are the four nations Trump cannot make any money off of. Other serial human rights abusing countries like North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Phil. even Israel he has no problem with because he is either making money off of them or admires their brutal leaders.

Incompetence. Arrogance. Fraudulence. Pandering to the worst human instincts. Pompeo and his boss, Trump, are guilty of all of these, and more. The USA has been harassing Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran for generations. We have been supporting China for as long. Where are MAGA hats made?

And, of course, the murderous Saudi regime gets a free pass from the Administration. How does Mike Pompeo look at himself in the mirror every day?

Maybe Pompeo got his list from Ginny.

Mike Pompous is nothing more than a stooge for Trump. Last week he overruled the CDC. Is his "Wuhan Virus" on the list as well?

Excuse me: Saudi Arabia!

To name a few others with human rights issues that are unforgivable: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Brazil, and just in case we forget, the United States.

Our government should not be calling out or condemning any nations as we abuse immigrant and asylum seekers, not to mention U.S. prison inmates, while turning a blind eye to the most egregious human rights abusers, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Philippines, and of course North Korea. Leave this finger pointing to Amnesty International and other international rights groups. The American hypocrisy is stupefying!

Proving once again that there is literally nothing Trump’s minions will not do to please their Dear Leader.

Look in the mirror!