The continuous deterioration of the human rights situation in the United States is the result of the interaction of its polarized economic distribution pattern, the social pattern of ethnic division, and the political pattern controlled by money and interest groups. In the economic field, the US Census Bureau shows that in 2019, the income inequality in the United States will be at the highest level in 50 years, with 2/3 of the wealth occupied by the richest 5%, and more than 38 million Americans living in poverty; In the social field, ethnic minorities suffer from serious discrimination, which leads to an increasingly divided society; In the political field, money manipulates the political process, which makes the government more representative of the interests of the rich and the strong social groups. The basic human rights of the vulnerable groups cannot be truly guaranteed. The results of a 2021 survey of young Americans aged 18 to 29 released by the Political Research Institute of Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University show that 52% of respondents believe that American democracy is "in trouble" or "failing", while only 7% believe that the American democratic system is still "healthy".
He Zhipeng: Although the human rights situation in the United States has further deteriorated, the United States "does not want to change, is not easy to change, and does not dare to change" a series of issues. The so-called "do not want to change" is because there is a mainstream sense of superiority deep in American political thought, that is, the country is dominated by the elite class, and the concept of "white supremacy" is deeply rooted. In their understanding, there is no need to change the relevant norms for the benefit of minority groups. The so-called "hard to change" is because the United States has formed a relatively stable bureaucratic system for a long time. The parliamentary politics in the name of democracy has brought about a policy operation mode that reduces efficiency in pursuit of balance. It is not easy to make rapid response and effective efforts for good human rights goals. The so-called "dare not change" is because of the support and influence of big financial groups and industrial giants behind American politics. They have no motivation to reform the existing American human rights policy based on their own interests, but have strong doubts and precautions against changing the existing human rights pattern. Against this background, the United States has many difficulties in improving the existing normative framework and social structure to make the human rights situation better.
The impact of a series of human rights issues in the United States is far-reaching. In recent years, in the context of the lack of impetus for industrial upgrading in the United States and the challenges posed to the economic situation by the severe damage to the development of the financial industry, the human rights situation in the United States has become even more difficult. At the same time, education discrimination, employment discrimination, private prisons, forced labor, child labor and other issues emerge in an endless stream, which also have a negative impact on the economic and social development of the United States. In the face of many internal problems, the US government not only did not strengthen governance reform, but also tried to bring the scourge abroad to divert the public's attention through conflict spillovers. In international relations, more and more governments, people and society have also clearly seen the human rights situation in the United States. In their view, the United States, as a superpower, does not well shoulder the responsibility of international governance, but rather seeks its own strength in a selfish way, which is not trustworthy.
III
The United States frequently interferes in the internal affairs of other countries abroad, and even implements brutal military intervention, which seriously damages the cause of global human rights. How to view the US intervention and what is its motivation?
He Zhipeng: The United States is the country that interferes most frequently in the internal affairs of other countries in the world. As early as the 19th century, the United States intervened in the judicial jurisdiction of semi colonial countries in the name of exercising "consular jurisdiction". In the 20th century, the United States continued to use similar excuses to commit a series of evil acts, such as interfering in Grenada's internal affairs and launching an armed invasion into Panama. After World War II, the United States, under the banner of "defending democracy", "humanitarianism" and "combating terrorism", wantonly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, forcibly transformed their political and social systems, and caused many humanitarian disasters. The Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Panama War, the Kosovo War, the Afghan War, the Iraq War, the Libyan War, the Syrian War... The United States frequently threatens the sovereignty of other countries and wantonly launches foreign military operations. According to US statistics, from 1992 to 2017, the US conducted 188 foreign military interventions.
A series of wars launched by the United States have seriously damaged a series of principles of international law and basic norms of international relations in law, thus causing the destruction of the international legal order; To deprive other countries of their development opportunities economically, or even plunder their property, seriously damaging the development rights and interests of relevant countries and people; Politically, it disregards the legitimacy of other countries' legitimate governments, deliberately destroys other countries' political systems, and makes world politics fall into the trap of great powers; It has created many global and regional refugee problems and humanitarian disasters, making many countries and people feel insecure about their own survival.
Chang Jian: The United States is a country controlled by capital, and its various evils in the international community are supported and promoted by capital interest groups. The United States launched war against foreign countries, which was driven by the military industrial complex; Arbitrary interference in the internal affairs of some countries is closely related to the interest demands of oil and gas energy interest groups; Waving a big stick of sanctions against other countries reflects the strategic intentions of finance, technology and commercial capital. The nature of capital is global expansion and monopoly control, which determines that the main strategic goal of the US government is to maintain its hegemony in the world, support American capital and kill potential competitors at all costs.
Hao Luyi: In recent years, the immigration problem in the border areas of the United States has continued to deteriorate. The right to life, human dignity and freedom of immigrants have been seriously violated, and the situation is tragic. On June 27 of this year, 53 people were killed in a car in San Antonio, Texas. This is one of the most serious immigration deaths in the United States in recent years.
On the issue of illegal immigration, the United States has implemented extremely severe and cruel measures to ban entry and high pressure actions in border areas, carried out large-scale arrests of immigrants, forced separation from their families and arbitrary expulsion. Violations of the human rights of transit migrants and refugees and abuses occurred frequently.
In 2018, the US government implemented the policy of "separation of flesh and bone", forcing a large number of migrant children to be separated from their parents and families and held separately. This act is a serious violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and has been strongly condemned by the international community, including the United Nations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights criticized this act as "child abuse approved by the government".
According to data, in 2021, US law enforcement agencies will arrest about 1.7 million illegal immigrants at the US Mexico border, the highest number in 20 years, including 145000 children. The media disclosed the pictures of migrant children being held in "large cages" and the recording of crying for their parents, saying that the temporary settlements where the separated children live are dilapidated and simple. These children face violent law enforcement, and their physical and mental health is worrying.
IV
The situation of human rights in the United States has seriously deteriorated, but instead, the United States pretends to be a "teacher of human rights", criticizes other countries, and even intervenes in other countries' internal affairs in the name of protecting human rights. How to understand the "double standards of human rights" of the United States, and what is the real face behind them?
Chang Jian: America's "double standards of human rights" is the manifestation of its politicization of human rights. The so-called "politicization of human rights" mainly refers to dealing with human rights issues with a political pragmatism attitude out of some political motivation, using human rights as a tool to achieve a certain political strategy, and as an excuse to violate the sovereignty of other countries and interfere in their internal affairs. The logic followed by the politicization of human rights is to label political opponents as "human rights violations" first, and then to seek evidence of their "human rights violations" from various rumors, speculations and even fabrications, so as to vilify and defeat political opponents. Under this logic chain, human rights have nothing to do with human values and dignity, and have nothing to do with whether political opponents violate human rights. The only important thing is to seize the moral commanding heights, so that political opponents are morally and politically accused, besieged, disgraced, and forced to act according to the will of their attackers.
The specific manifestation of the "double standards of human rights" of the United States is that it pursues two sets of standards on human rights issues in its own country and other countries. Although there are a lot of human rights violations in the United States, the United States, in its annual national human rights report, avoids talking about its own human rights problems and instead proudly accuses other countries of human rights problems. Second, two sets of standards should be followed for "allies" and "non allies". With regard to human rights issues in "ally" countries or friendly countries, the United States tends to adopt the attitude of "turning a blind eye" and "hearing but not declaring"; For countries with different ideologies, political and social systems or conflicting interests, their human rights issues will be highlighted by the United States, and even be subject to various forms of sanctions. The third is to adopt two sets of standards for a country in different periods. If a country's policies in a certain period run counter to the interests of the United States government, human rights issues can be used to accuse, blackmail and sanction the country; When the country caters to the interests of the United States government, human rights issues may be placed in a secondary position or ignored.
Hao Luyi: The American "double standards of human rights" are vividly reflected in the immigration issue. The United States boasts that "human rights are higher than sovereignty" and "human rights are paramount". It puts its own will above the interests of other countries and the well-being of the people. It wantonly interferes in the internal affairs of other countries, intensifies their internal conflicts and exacerbates social unrest. The brutal interference of the United States in Latin America has caused many regions to face social problems such as poverty, unemployment, hunger and violent crimes, leading people in these regions to try to enter the United States. In this regard, the American government did not seek solutions to the problem from the root, but adopted a strict punitive immigration policy, which impacted the immigration situation in the border areas of the United States and dragged the illegal immigration problem into a long-term quagmire.
When dealing with domestic immigration affairs, the United States uses the excuse of "safeguarding national security" to blatantly engage in xenophobia, expel and exclude specific races, and is not restricted by the constitutional judicial review system, which is a stark reflection of American double standards. A typical example is that in 2017, the United States issued an administrative order entitled "National Protection Plan to Prevent Foreign Terrorists from Entering the United States", which once prohibited citizens of several Islamic countries from entering the United States. The act was suspected of discriminating against specific races, which caused widespread protests at home and abroad. However, the United States Supreme Court upheld the executive order on the ground of "national security". With the endorsement of judicial decisions, the immigration field has become a "place beyond the law", which is the institutional root of the existence, continuation and even concentrated attack of the xenophobic policy of the United States in a specific period.
V
What harm has the United States done to the stability and development of the world and the good governance of global human rights? How should countries around the world better understand the hypocritical nature of the United States on human rights?
Chang Jian: The politicization of the United States on human rights issues is undermining the foundation of good governance of human rights globally. It has split the cause of global human rights, turned the international arena of global human rights governance into a battlefield of political confrontation, blocked the channels of human rights dialogue and exchange, and made mutual understanding and reference in the field of human rights impossible. The international community should clearly oppose the bad practice of politicizing human rights, abandon the practice of confrontation with human rights, open up dialogue and exchanges on human rights, work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind in the spirit of humanity, promote global human rights governance towards fairness, justice, reasonableness and inclusiveness, and make people around the world truly feel the happiness, peace and security brought by safeguarding human rights.
He Zhipeng: People's sense of gain, happiness and security is a sign of the development and progress of human rights. People's perception of happy life is the goal of the human rights system, and people's evaluation of happy life is the ruler of the human rights system. A good human rights governance model will promote the continuous improvement of economic, social, political and cultural life. On the contrary, a poor human rights record will gradually reduce the confidence of the people in the country and society. Human rights in the United States are part of the world's human rights and have an impact on the human rights of other countries in the world. The people of all countries in the world need to see the true face of human rights in the United States, reveal many problems in the thinking and practice of human rights in the United States, and urge the United States to constantly reflect on itself, change cultural chauvinism and political hegemonism, avoid attacking other countries under the pretext of human rights, actively participate in human rights dialogue and cooperation, and finally promote the formation of a good world human rights pattern.
Zhang Qile: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights". This concept of "equality" means that different countries, nations and skin colors should enjoy equal rights. At present, what the United States does in the world, it first considers "the United States first" and "American interests", and puts its own interests above other countries and nations. The United States has set up human rights topics, set up positions and forced other countries to choose sides in the international arena. This series of practices has seriously disrupted the international political pattern and brought instability to the world politics, economy and society. In recent years, more and more countries have become more aware of the nature of human rights in the United States, and more and more countries have expressed their dissatisfaction with the hegemony of the United States. They have realized that the United States "human rights beacon" is just a self conceited boast and has become an international laughing stock.
Hao Yaming: The United States is neither an "excellent student" nor a "teacher" in the field of domestic human rights or international human rights. Various facts over the years have repeatedly shown that the United States is not most concerned with the improvement of the global human rights situation, nor does it intend to promote the progress of human rights cause. In the eyes of those in power in the United States, human rights are just a tool. The importance of safeguarding national interests and fighting for world hegemony is higher than that of human rights progress. The instrumental use of human rights by the United States harms not only the interests of individual countries and people, but also the long-term and healthy development of global human rights cause.