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If Trump Forgets About Human Rights in Asia, the World Will Suffer
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If Trump Forgets About Human Rights in Asia, the World Will Suffer

Authors Michael Fuchs, Shannon McKeown, and Brian Harding explain why President Donald Trump must publicly stand for human rights and political freedom during his trip to Asia next week.

On President Donald Trump’s marathon Asia trip, set to begin on Friday, he will meet with a diverse slate of leaders, many of whom are overseeing the degradation of political freedom in their countries and others massive human rights abuses. While democracy has been receding in Southeast Asia for several years, this has largely been a quiet, incremental story. However, with the alleged ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines, this dynamic is now hitting the headlines. As Trump prepares to meet with these countries’ leaders, he should recognize that the societies these leaders represent, whose views on the United States will be important for U.S. interests over the long-term, will be watching his actions and words closely.

The above excerpt was originally published in Foreign Policy. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Michael Fuchs

Senior Fellow

Shannon McKeown

Brian Harding

Director, East and Southeast Asia