Human Rights First Praises Clinton’s Commitment to U.S. Human Rights Leadership

Washington, DC Following Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, Human Rights First’s Elisa Massimino issued the following statement: “In her remarks today, Secretary Clinton rightly rejected the false choice between human rights and national security, and she reaffirmed her belief that America’s record on promoting human rights should be judged not on rhetoric, but on results. She outlined an impressive framework for confronting a range of global problems through greater international cooperation, including development of relationships with strategic partners and local advocates engaged in solving their own problems. Such an approach, deployed in the service of specific human rights objectives that match this framework in scope and ambition, would generate real change. “Unfortunately, while Secretary Clinton’s speech set out a vigorous and strategic approach to other global problems such as Iranian nuclear ambitions, economic development, and progress on peace in the Middle East it failed to outline specific policies or initiatives that the Obama Administration plans to advance human rights in the coming months. While the administration’s commitment