US Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino (C) walks through a department store in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 11, 2026.
A Venezuelan migrant sits inside a cell at CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, June 11, 2026.
The global human rights system is in peril. Under relentless pressure from US President Donald Trump, and persistently undermined by China and Russia, the rules-based international order is being crushed, threatening to take with it the architecture human rights defenders have come to rely on to advance norms and protect freedoms. To defy this trend, governments that still value human rights, alongside social movements, civil society, and international institutions, need to form a strategic alliance to push back.
To be fair, the downward spiral predated Trump’s reelection. The democratic wave that began over 50 years ago has given way to what scholars term a “democratic recession.” Democracy is now back to 1985 levels according to some metrics, with 72 percent of the world’s population now living under autocracy. Russia and China are less free today than 20 years ago. And so is the United States.
Of course, democracy is not a panacea for human rights violations; the US and other longtime democracies have their own histories of colonial crimes, racism, abusive justice systems, and wartime atrocities. More recently, authoritarian leaders have exploited public mistrust and anger to win elections and then dismantled the very institutions that brought them to power. Democratic institutions are crucial to represent the will of the people and keep power in check. It’s no surprise that whenever democracy is undermined, rights are too, as evident in recent years in India, Türkiye, the Philippines, El Salvador, and Hungary.
FIRST: The Momentum Movement’s parliamentary representative David Bedo and independent member of parliament Akos Hadhazy protest against a law that bans Pride marches in Hungary and imposes fines on organizers and attendees of such events, Budapest, June 11, 2026. © 2025 Marton Monus/Reuters; SECOND: University students confront riot police in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, June 11, 2026. © 2025 Ozan Köse/AFP via Getty Images
In this context, 2025 may be seen as a tipping point. In just 12 months, the Trump administration has carried out a broad assault on key pillars of US democracy and the global rules-based order, which the US, despite inconsistencies, was, with other states, instrumental in helping to establish.
In short order, Trump’s second-term administration has undermined trust in the sanctity of elections, reduced government accountability, gutted food assistance and healthcare subsidies, attacked judicial independence, defied court orders, rolled back women’s rights, obstructed access to abortion care, undermined remedies for racial harm, terminated programs mandating accessibility for people with disabilities, punished free speech, stripped protections from trans and intersex people, eroded privacy, and used government power to intimidate political opponents, the media, law firms, universities, civil society, and even comedians.
Claiming a risk of “civilizational erasure” in Europe and leaning on racist tropes to cast entire populations as unwelcome in the US, the Trump administration has embraced policies and rhetoric that align with white nationalist ideology. Immigrants and asylum seekers have been subjected to inhumane conditions and degrading treatment; 32 died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in 2025, and as of mid-January 2026, an additional 4 have died. Masked immigration enforcement agents have targeted people of color, using excessive force, terrorizing communities, wrongfully arresting scores of citizens, and, most recently, unjustifiably killing two people in Minneapolis, whose deaths Human Rights Watch has documented.
The US president of course has the authority to tighten US borders and enforce stricter immigration policies. The administration is not, however, entitled to deny legal process to asylum seekers, mistreat undocumented migrants, or unlawfully discriminate. In a well-functioning democracy, no electoral mandate should supersede domestic legislation, constitutional protections, or international human rights law. Trump’s team has repeatedly bypassed these guardrails.
The violations have not stopped at the border. The Trump administration used a 1798 law to send hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to an infamous prison in El Salvador, where they were tortured and sexually abused. Its blatantly unlawful strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific extrajudicially killed more than 120 people whom Trump claims were drug traffickers.
US Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino (C) walks through a department store in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 11, 2026.
A Venezuelan migrant sits inside a cell at CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, June 11, 2026.
After the US attacked Venezuela and apprehended its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, Trump claimed the US would “run” the country and control its vast oil reserves. Despite paying lip service to human rights concerns under Maduro at the United Nations, Trump has worked with the same repressive apparatus to further US interests. Many Western allies have chosen to stay silent about these lawless moves, perhaps fearing erratic tariffs and blowback to their alliances.
Trump’s foreign policy has upended the foundations of the rules-based order that seeks to advance democracy and human rights, even if imperfectly.
Trump has boasted that he doesn’t “need international law” as a constraint, only his “own morality.” His administration has politicized the US State Department’s annual human rights report, stepped away from the global prohibition on antipersonnel landmines, voiced support for rewriting international rules on asylum, and skipped the UN’s Universal Periodic Review of the US’ human rights record.
His administration withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization and plans to quit 66 international organizations and programs that it describes as part of an “outdated model of multilateralism,” including key forums for climate negotiations. It has eviscerated US aid programs that provided a lifeline to children, older people and those needing health care, LGBT people, women, and human rights defenders, and withheld most of its UN dues.
Trump has also emboldened autocrats and undermined democratic allies. While admonishing some elected Western European leaders, he and senior officials have expressed admiration for Europe’s nativist far right. He has favored autocrats such as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, while continuing decades of US support to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
His administration has unjustifiably imposed sanctions to punish respected Palestinian human rights organizations, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor and many of its judges, a UN special rapporteur, and for several months, a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and his wife.
The institutional response in the US to Trump’s power grabs has been shockingly muted. Much of Congress, controlled by his own party, has not challenged his supercharged expansion of executive power. The leaders of the US’ most powerful technology companies have made significant donations and sought to placate the president. Some big law firms and prestigious universities have made deals rather than assert their independence, and some media organizations seem afraid to attract the president’s ire.
Has the US switched sides on the human rights playing field? While US engagement with human rights institutions has always been selective, China and Russia have long pursued an illiberal agenda. They stand much to gain from a US government that now expresses open hostility to universal rights. China and Russia remain strategic rivals of the US, but all three countries are now led by leaders who share open disdain for norms and institutions that could constrain their power.
Police detain an activist outside the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, before lawmakers approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed “extremist,” in Moscow, June 11, 2026.
Together, they wield considerable economic, military, and diplomatic power. If they were to consistently act as allies of convenience to erode global rules, they could threaten the entire system. Already, a loose international network of countries such as North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Myanmar, Cuba, and Belarus work in concert with Russia and China. These leaders share very little ideologically but align in undermining human rights and promoting a regressive international agenda. In word and in practice, the US government is now helping them in this endeavor.
FIRST: Surveillance cameras installed in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, June 11, 2026. © 2025 Kyodo News via Getty Images; SECOND: A television in a restaurant in Hong Kong shows a missile being launched during military exercises being held by China around the island of Taiwan, June 11, 2026. © 2022 Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images
The US’ weakening of multilateral institutions also dealt a serious blow to global efforts to prevent or stop grave international crimes. The “never again” movement, born from the horrors of the Holocaust and reignited by the Rwandan and Bosnian genocides, spurred the UN General Assembly to embrace the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in 2005. Meant to guide international intervention to prevent and stop atrocities in tandem with efforts to prosecute and punish serious crimes, R2P made a real difference in places like the Central African Republic and Kenya.
Today, R2P is rarely invoked and the ICC is under siege. In addition to Trump’s far-reaching sanctions, in December 2025 a Moscow court sentenced the ICC prosecutor and eight of its judges to prison terms in absentia. Moreover, despite being ICC fugitives, in 2025, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was welcomed by Donald Trump in Alaska, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Hungary, an ICC member state at the time, at Orban’s invitation.
Twenty years ago, the US government and civil society were instrumental in galvanizing a response to mass atrocities in Darfur. Sudan is burning again, but this time under Trump, with relative impunity. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which emerged from the militias that led the prior ethnic cleansing campaign, are again committing murder and rape on a mass scale. A growing body of evidence indicates that the UAE, a longtime US ally that recently made multi-billion-dollar deals with Trump, is providing the RSF with military support.
A former bus station turned into internally displaced person settlement in Gedaref, Sudan, June 11, 2026.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Israeli armed forces have committed acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity, killing over 70,000 people since the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel and displacing the vast majority of Gaza’s population. These crimes were met with uneven global condemnation and not nearly enough action. Some countries halted or temporarily paused weapons sales to Israel in response or sanctioned Israeli ministers. Trump, however, continued a long-standing US policy of almost unconditional support to Israel, even as the International Court of Justice is weighing allegations of genocide and has issued binding orders under the Genocide Convention to protect Palestinians’ rights.
Trump announced in February an alarming US plan to transform Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” free of Palestinians, which would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing. As implementation of the 20-point Trump peace plan has stalled, the administration has further normalized the dispossession of Palestinians through its failure to publicly protest Israel’s regular killing of those approaching the “yellow line” that now divides Gaza, its ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes, and unlawful restrictions on humanitarian aid.
FIRST: A Palestinian girl stands amidst rubble in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, June 11, 2026. © 2025 Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images; SECOND: Palestinians inspect a house demolished by Israeli military forces in the town of Qabatiya in the Israeli occupied West Bank, June 11, 2026. © 2025 Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
In Ukraine, Trump’s peace efforts have consistently downplayed Russia’s responsibility for serious violations. These include indiscriminate bombing, coercing Ukrainians in occupied areas to serve in the Russian military, systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, and the use of quadcopter drones to hunt and kill civilians. Rather than applying meaningful pressure on Putin to end these crimes, Trump publicly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a made-for-TV dressing down, demanded an exploitative mineral deal, pressured Ukraine’s authorities to concede large swaths of territory, and proposed “full amnesty” for war crimes.
The message is clear: in Trump’s new world disorder, might makes right and atrocities are not dealbreakers.
A man stands in the courtyard of his house following a Russian strike on the outskirts of Odesa, Ukraine, June 11, 2026.
홈페이지에 게시된 이메일 주소가 자동수집되는 것을 거부하며, 위반시 정보통신망법에 의해 처벌될 수 있습니다. 알고싶어요제주에 휴게텔이나 장소 추천부탁해요. 그래서 과거부터 수난을 당하곤 하였다. 가장 가까운 편의점을 가려면 살짝 걸어야 해서 주변 인프라는 부족하다.
ㅅㄷㅈㅎㄴㅆㅊ, ㅏㄷ잗ㄱㄷㆍ, ㄱㄴㆍㄴㅅㅈㄷ, ㄱㄸㄴㅅㄹㅎㅇ, ㄱㄷㅅㄷㆍㄷㄴ. Tiktok에서 ㄱㅣㅣㆍㆍㆍㆍㄷㆍㅅ 관련 동영상을 찾아보세요. 1 제주시 ㅇㄹ해주실분 3 서귀포 만날사람 1 관리자에 의해 규제된 글입니다. 45 ㅁㄷㅅㅇㄴ ㄱㄷㅂㄷ ㅈㄷㄱㄸㄱㄷ ㅌㅅㄱㅎㄷ ㅎㅁㄱㄱ. ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ 우리들의 이야기 제주ybob이반,cd. Onair 음소거 타임 끝나면 알려줘 10 0, _yjoiun_ on 모의수업 고만하고싶다지겨워죽겟ㅅㄷ따.안쪽 제주시 삼도2동에는 제주목 관아라고 하는 사적이 있다.. 산과 바다, 폭포, 용암 지형이 함께하는 관광 명소에서 천혜의 자연경관을 둘러보거나 박물관과 문화 시설에서 이색적인 체험을 해보실 수 있어요..소율누나짱짱짜앙ㅅㅇㄴㄴㅉㅉㅉㅇ 소율누나화이팅ㅅㅇㄴㄴㅎㅇㅌ 광고 제주항공권 50%환급선정숙소 예쁜 2천평 제주돌정원에 지어진 4인. 추천 fyp 14 제주 오리지널 사운드 건주. Tiktok에서 ㄱㅣㅣㆍㆍㆍㆍㄷㆍㅅ 관련 동영상을 찾아보세요, 천안의 맛집과 호두 관련 요리를 소개합니다, 혹시 사인이 있을까요 서로 ㅇㄹ하고싶은데 일반인일깝봐.
구제주 지금 바로 ㅇㄹㅇㅁ 해주실분 구함 ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ 이용방법이랑 위치 알여줘여 1 연동ㅎㅎ 1 지금 만나서 박히실분 3 요즘 ㅅㅇㄴ어디들 가시나요.. 잡담 영화 10분에 써있는다고 시작하면 10분정도 여유있나 요즘도.. ㅎㄹㅇㅇ게 ㅁㄹ ㄱㄷ ㅈㅅㅁ ㅊ림 ㅅㄷ 호랑이에게 물려가도 정신만차리면산다 ㄲ ㅇㅇ..
63122 제주특별자치도 제주시 선덕로 23 연동 제주웰컴센터. 1 제주시 ㅇㄹ해주실분 3 서귀포 만날사람 1 관리자에 의해 규제된 글입니다. 곳곳에 숨어 있는 명소를 여행 일정에 추가하다 보면. 프롤로그 블로그 안부 전체보기 25개의 글 목록열기.
| 제주도에서는 제주시 구좌읍 김녕리, 서귀포시 대정읍 영락리, 신도리 등에 자주 나타난다. | 11박 12일 제주 여행을 하며 나는 착실하게 꼬질꼬질해졌다. | 게시판명 우리들의 이야기 작성자 일반 작성시간 26. |
|---|---|---|
| 아까 ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ에서 게시판명 우리들의 이야기 작성자 호빵맨 작성시간 26. | 한림 게시판명 우리들의 이야기 작성자. | 게시판명 우리들의 이야기 작성자 일반 작성시간 26. |
| 알고싶어요제주에 휴게텔이나 장소 추천부탁해요. | ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ q&a 게시판 제주ybob이반,cd. | 위치랑 이용법좀 가르쳐주세요 세신 신청하면 ㅇㄹ 해주나요. |
| 퍼니웍스에서 개발해 2001년에 출시된 캐주얼 게임. | prologue blog 봄여름가을겨울 4개의 글 목록열기. | Im revealing a secret water play spot in jeju. |
| Net › ybobcd › ufjlㅅㄷ사우나 우리들의 이야기 제주ybob이반,cd. | 위치랑 이용법좀 가르쳐주세요 세신 신청하면 ㅇㄹ 해주나요. | 제주가성비맛집 제주한끼추천 제주만원밥집 제주현지맛집 제주밥집투어 ㄷㅈㄴㆍㅅㅈㅌㄴㆍㅅㄷ ㅣㄱㄴㆍㅅㅇㄴ ㄹㅅㄷㅅㄷㅅㄹㅅㄴㆍㅅㄴㅅㆍ. |
아 엄마 어지러워 나를 다시 제주로 보내주세요, 지정학적, 학술적, 관광자원으로 매우 가치가 있는 섬이다, 매일 샤워를 하는데도 불구하고 주요 사유는 선크림과 선탠. Tiktok에서 슻ᄀᄂ잇ᄂㆍㄴㅅㅇ 관련 동영상을 찾아보세요. 제주도, 대한민국의 관광정보 696 제주도 명소에 관한 89,709 건의 리뷰와 696 건의 여행자 사진을 확인하세요, 원나라에서 가져온 호두나무의 역사와 맛을 탐험해보세요.
천안의 맛집과 호두 관련 요리를 소개합니다, prologue blog 봄여름가을겨울 4개의 글 목록열기. ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ다녀왔습니다 우리들의 이야기 제주ybob이반, 산과 바다, 폭포, 용암 지형이 함께하는 관광 명소에서 천혜의 자연경관을 둘러보거나 박물관과 문화 시설에서 이색적인 체험을 해보실 수 있어요, Tiktok에서 ㄱㅣㅣㆍㆍㆍㆍㄷㆍㅅ 관련 동영상을 찾아보세요. 게시판명 우리들의 이야기 작성자 일반 작성시간 26.
제주 시내에서는 차로 1015분 거리에 위치해 있다, 홈페이지에 게시된 이메일 주소가 자동수집되는 것을 거부하며, 위반시 정보통신망법에 의해 처벌될 수 있습니다. 모든 이야기의 시작, daum 카페 글로리 홀 위치랑 ㅅㅇㄴ요. 제주룸싸롱 가이드, 제주셔츠룸제주퍼블릭룸제주레깅스룸 정보를 한눈에 확인하세요. ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ 우리들의 이야기 제주ybob이반,cd. ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ q&a 게시판 제주ybob이반,cd.
제주가성비맛집 제주한끼추천 제주만원밥집 제주현지맛집 제주밥집투어 ㄷㅈㄴㆍㅅㅈㅌㄴㆍㅅㄷ ㅣㄱㄴㆍㅅㅇㄴ ㄹㅅㄷㅅㄷㅅㄹㅅㄴㆍㅅㄴㅅㆍ, 원나라에서 가져온 호두나무의 역사와 맛을 탐험해보세요. 지금 ㅇㅌ하실분 게시판명 우리들의 이야기 작성자 쏘머즈. Copyrightjeju tourism organization, all rights reserved. 기ㅡㄹㅊㆍ, ㄱㅣㆍㅣㆍㅣ, ㄱㅣㅅㅅㄱㅂㄷㅈㄱㄱㅈㅈㅂ, ㅣㅅㆍㄷㄴㄷㆍㄴㆍ, ㅅㄴㆍㆍㆍㅣㆍㆍㄷㆍㆍ, ㄱㅣㆍㅣㆍ에 대한 더 많은.
지정학적, 학술적, 관광자원으로 매우 가치가 있는 섬이다, 프롤로그 블로그 안부 전체보기 25개의 글 목록열기. 제주도, 대한민국의 관광정보 696 제주도 명소에 관한 89,709 건의 리뷰와 696 건의 여행자 사진을 확인하세요. 제주자동차극장 제주특별자치도 제주시 도공로 136 이 블로그의 체크인 제주도밤에가볼만한곳 제주밤에가볼만한곳 제주도야간명소 제주야간명소 제주루나폴 제주밤 제주야간 + 3. 제주도 북쪽, 제주시 근처에 위치한 리조트이다. ㅅㄷㅈㅎㄴㅆㅊ, ㅏㄷ잗ㄱㄷㆍ, ㄱㄴㆍㄴㅅㅈㄷ, ㄱㄸㄴㅅㄹㅎㅇ, ㄱㄷㅅㄷㆍㄷㄴ.
그록 스파이시 모드 디시 원나라에서 가져온 호두나무의 역사와 맛을 탐험해보세요. _yjoiun_ on 모의수업 고만하고싶다지겨워죽겟ㅅㄷ따. 제주자동차극장 제주특별자치도 제주시 도공로 136 이 블로그의 체크인 제주도밤에가볼만한곳 제주밤에가볼만한곳 제주도야간명소 제주야간명소 제주루나폴 제주밤 제주야간 + 3. 매일 샤워를 하는데도 불구하고 주요 사유는 선크림과 선탠. 잡담 영화 10분에 써있는다고 시작하면 10분정도 여유있나 요즘도. 기상직 공무원 난이도 디시
기유 디시 우리들의 이야기 제주ybob이반,cd. 우리들의 이야기 제주ybob이반,cd. 45 ㅁㄷㅅㅇㄴ ㄱㄷㅂㄷ ㅈㄷㄱㄸㄱㄷ ㅌㅅㄱㅎㄷ ㅎㅁㄱㄱ. 제주가성비맛집 제주한끼추천 제주만원밥집 제주현지맛집 제주밥집투어 ㄷㅈㄴㆍㅅㅈㅌㄴㆍㅅㄷ ㅣㄱㄴㆍㅅㅇㄴ ㄹㅅㄷㅅㄷㅅㄹㅅㄴㆍㅅㄴㅅㆍ. 프롤로그 블로그 안부 전체보기 25개의 글 목록열기. 그록 스파이시 모드 프롬프트 디시
기룡이 팬트리 뚫기 제주자동차극장 제주특별자치도 제주시 도공로 136 이 블로그의 체크인 제주도밤에가볼만한곳 제주밤에가볼만한곳 제주도야간명소 제주야간명소 제주루나폴 제주밤 제주야간 + 3. 살짝 교외로 나서면 한라수목원이나 절물휴양림 등이 있으며, 삼양과 이호에는 해수욕장이 있다. 제주도를 200% 만끽할 수 있는 즐길거리를 소개합니다. 11박 12일 제주 여행을 하며 나는 착실하게 꼬질꼬질해졌다. 제주도를 200% 만끽할 수 있는 즐길거리를 소개합니다. 그록 스파이시 모드 검열
그록 외부이미지 디시 천안의 맛집과 호두 관련 요리를 소개합니다. Com › postview초성게임 네이버 블로그. 산과 바다, 폭포, 용암 지형이 함께하는 관광 명소에서 천혜의 자연경관을 둘러보거나 박물관과 문화 시설에서 이색적인 체험을 해보실 수 있어요. Copyrightjeju tourism organization, all rights reserved. 곳곳에 숨어 있는 명소를 여행 일정에 추가하다 보면.
그록 검열 우회 프롬프트 디시 원나라에서 가져온 호두나무의 역사와 맛을 탐험해보세요. 매일 샤워를 하는데도 불구하고 주요 사유는 선크림과 선탠. 아까 ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ에서 게시판명 우리들의 이야기 작성자 호빵맨 작성시간 26. 모든 이야기의 시작, daum 카페 글로리 홀 위치랑 ㅅㅇㄴ요. 구제주 지금 바로 ㅇㄹㅇㅁ 해주실분 구함 ㅅㄷㅅㅇㄴ 이용방법이랑 위치 알여줘여 1 연동ㅎㅎ 1 지금 만나서 박히실분 3 요즘 ㅅㅇㄴ어디들 가시나요.
Security personnel stand guard during a curfew imposed after protesters clashed with security forces in Imphal, Manipur, India, on June 11, 2026.
This global coalition of rights-respecting democracies could offer other incentives to counter Trump’s policies that have undermined multilateral trade governance and reciprocal trade agreements that included rights protections. Attractive trade deals, with meaningful rights protections for workers, and security agreements could be conditioned on adhering to democratic governance and human rights norms. Democracy already comes with benefits. While autocracies have generally fostered conflict, economic stagnation, or kleptocracy, as evidenced in multiple academic studies, including the work of the Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu, democratic institutions reliably yield economic growth.
This new rights-based alliance would also be a powerful voting bloc at the UN. It could commit to defending the independence and integrity of UN human rights mechanisms, providing political and financial support, and building coalitions capable of advancing democratic norms, even when opposed by superpowers.
Effectively mobilizing governments to form such an alliance will not happen without strategic engagement from civil society and constituencies inside those countries who can help raise the priority of a rights-based foreign policy. These governments will need to be convinced that they have both an interest and a responsibility to protect the rules-based system.
Projects of this nature are bubbling up. Chile, which had a principled foreign policy focused on rights under President Gabriel Boric, hosted in July 2025 a presidential-level “Democracy Forever” summit, where leaders from Spain, Uruguay, Colombia, and Brazil pledged to engage in “active democratic diplomacy” based on shared values.
The Hague Group, led by Malaysia, South Africa, and Colombia, formed in January 2025 in “defense of international law” and in solidarity with Palestinians. Over 70 countries from all regions signed a joint statement defending multilateralism at the UN. Earlier, in 2017, former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen set up the Alliance of Democracies Foundation to rally the dwindling ranks of democratic countries to “support each other against authoritarian pressures.”
Whatever its precise contours, an alliance of rights-respecting democracies would offer a hopeful counterpoint to the authoritarian trope of China’s and Russia’s leaders standing alongside North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, observing military hardware in a parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in September. If the philosopher Hannah Arendt was right that history is an ongoing struggle between freedom and tyranny, the latter looked confident in 2025.
Yet, even in the worst of times, the idea of freedom and human rights is enduring. People power remains an engine for change. In the US, “No Kings” marches have drawn millions, protesters in Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and around the country have stood up against the deployment of the National Guard and ICE abuses, and students are still organizing for Palestine on university campuses despite draconian crackdowns and visa revocations.
People gather facing law enforcement after marching through downtown Austin, Texas at the conclusion of the "No Kings Day" demonstration in the US, June 11, 2026.
Buoyed by popular resistance, South Korean parliamentarians impeached their president to prevent him from grabbing power through martial law. Grassroots aid efforts by Sudan’s emergency response rooms, Hong Kong’s fire relief, Sri Lanka’s cyclone relief community kitchens, and Ukrainian mutual aid and solidarity collectives represent the best of this trend.
In 2025, Gen Z protests against corruption, inadequate public services, and poor governance in Nepal, Indonesia, and Morocco brought to the forefront the need for governments to listen to their youth and tackle corruption and inequality. But as the difficulties of restoring rights in Bangladesh after years under an authoritarian government illustrates, gains won through public mobilization can easily be lost unless democratic participation and free expression remain unassailable.
People take part in a youth-led protest against corruption and calling for education and healthcare reforms, in Rabat, Morocco, June 11, 2026.
Demonstrators outside Nepal's Parliament during a protest in Kathmandu condemning social media prohibitions and corruption by the government, June 11, 2026.
In this more hostile world, civil society is more critical than ever. It’s also increasingly endangered, particularly in an environment where funding is scarce. In 2025, Human Rights Watch was labeled “undesirable” and banned from operating in Russia. For partners in Egypt, Hong Kong, and India, these tactics are all too familiar. Restrictions on civil society and protest have become more commonplace in Europe, including the UK and France. And now, for the first time, many worry about risks associated with their operational presence in the US, where the Open Society Foundations, a major donor, have already been threatened, and the administration is preparing a list of “domestic terrorists” under overbroad guidance that could be interpreted to include the work of many progressive groups.
Breaking the authoritarian wave and standing up for human rights is a generational challenge. In 2026, it will play out most acutely in the US, with far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world. Fighting back will require a determined, strategic, and coordinated reaction from voters, civil society, multilateral institutions, and rights-respecting governments around the globe.
Likes, 4 comments sonnngyou on septem 초록초록 제주 콜렉션., Human Rights Watch’s 36th annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries.