In matters of foreign policy, the United

States ought to value universal human rights

over economic interests
Al Jazeera 12-23-21

Stefan Bauschard
Terms
Affirmative
Negative
TERMS
UNITED STATES

OUGHT/VALUE

UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS

– 30 established in Universal Declaration of

Human Rights
- Everything from right to be free from
discrimination to protection of the right not to
be tortured…Includes, “the right to rest and
leisure time.”

*All? *Any? *Some?.

TERMS
ECONOMIC INTERESTS

➔ OF THE UNITED STATES?

➔ OF THE TARGET COUNTRY?

➔ BOTH?
TERMS
How does a country value over?

➔ Refuse trade agreements?

➔ Reduce trade? (sanctions)

➔ Financial penalties (sanctions)

➔ Diplomatic statements
Key Pro Arguments to Win
Improve Human Rights (Good Luck)
Shun
US leadership: (a) general; (b) human
rights; © democracy
Free trade/growth bad
Improve Human Rights

➔ Violations now

➔ Impacts: dignity; pain

➔ US leadership, economic
pressure creates improvement
Shunning

➔ HR violations are immoral

➔ Moral obligation to shun

regardless of consequences

➔ If we don’t shun we are

complicity

➔ Ignore utilitarian ethics

US Leadership
Strategic: Doesn’t depend on solving human
rights

➔ Post WW II US leadership lead to

global HR & Democracy

➔ US Leadership and soft power

➔ Global leadership/world order

impacts

➔ Global democracy impacts

Con
Total Failure

Poverty

Nationalism

National Interest

Moralizing Bad

Imperialism
 Basic Problems With
Universal Human Rights
1. Based on universalizing Western values
2. No foundation beyond society
3. No real agreement as to what they are
4. Many are sort of silly or aspirational
5. No practical way to protect beyond society
6. Hypocritical
Total Failure

➔ No instances of success: Cuba;

Russia; Iraq; Syria; North Korea;
China; Venezuela
Economic Harms

➔ Massive poverty

➔ Deprivation of key medicines

and items

➔ Wealth escape consequences

because they hoard the
resources

Genocidal
Nationalism

➔ Economic deprivation leads to

nationalism

➔ Political backlash (all do not

support human rights); many
oppose value judgements
National Interest

➔ We know it as America First

➔ Grounded in realist theories of

international relations

➔ Countries that don’t protect their

own interests will fail
Moralizing Bad

➔ Leads to military intervention

➔ Leads to violence against those

with different values

➔ Threatens the foundations of the

state
Imperialism

➔ We invade societies to fix them

➔ This leads to genocide

Animals

➔ What about animal rights?