한국 우정의 종 korean friendship bell la 샌 피드로 남단 바다 전망이 탁월한 곳에 우리나라 기와로 만들어진 종각이 자리하고 있다.

미국 독립기념 200주년을 맞이하고 우정의 상징으로 대한민국정부가 기증한 종으로 알려지고 있는 우정의 종을 방문했습니다.

Will Human Rights Survive a Trumpian World?

Authoritarian Advances Threaten Rules-Based Order

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.

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 10, 2026.
University students confront riot police in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, June 10, 2026.

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 10, 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 10, 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.

A volunteer at a food distribution event outside of Brooklyn Borough Hall in New York City, June 10, 2026.
A volunteer at a food distribution event outside of Brooklyn Borough Hall in New York City, June 10, 2026. © 2025 Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

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.

A pregnant asylum seeker comforts her 2-year-old inside the motel room where she and her children are living after her husband was deported to Nicaragua, in Miami, Florida, June 10, 2026.
A pregnant asylum seeker comforts her 2-year-old inside the motel room where she and her children are living after her husband was deported to Nicaragua, in Miami, Florida, June 10, 2026. © 2025 Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo

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.

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.

US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson talks to reporters after a closed door briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on US military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, Washington, DC, June 10, 2026.
US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson talks to reporters after a closed door briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on US military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, Washington, DC, June 10, 2026. © 2025 Samuel Corum/Sipa USA via AP Photo

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.

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.

Surveillance cameras installed in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, June 10, 2026. 
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 10, 2026.

FIRST: Surveillance cameras installed in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, June 10, 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 10, 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.

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.

A Palestinian girl stands amidst rubble in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, June 10, 2026.
Palestinians inspect a house demolished by Israeli military forces in the town of Qabatiya in the Israeli occupied West Bank, June 10, 2026.

FIRST: A Palestinian girl stands amidst rubble in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, June 10, 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 10, 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.

로스앤젤레스의 관문인 샌피드로 항 인근의 바닷가에 있는 angels gate 공원. ◦ 글로벌 축제로 세계인에게 감동과 신명을 주는 축제. 샌페드로 엔젤스 게이트 파크에 위치한 우정의 종은 지난 1976년. 우정의 종 복원사업을 위해 방문한 한국 범종사 대표 채동희 종장이 우정의 종 고리부분의 부식상태를 점검하고 있다.

한국 국화인 무궁화 무늬로 띠가 둘러져있다.

지금 보시는 게 우리나라가 38년 전 미국 정부에 선물한 우정의 종입니다. Com › accommodation › us2025 로스앤젤레스 한국 우정의 종 근처 호텔,숙소 베스트 10. 이 종은 1976년 한국과 미국 간의 우정을 상징하기 위해 한국에서 선물한 종이랍니다. Events rotary club of seoul. 이 소식을 비롯한 한인사회소식, 정희정 기자가 보도합니다, Com › 739미국에도 종각이 있다, 로스앤젤레스 한국 우정의 종 여행을 계획중이신가요. 미국 한국 우정의 종 근처 완벽한 숙소 찾기. 미주 한인의 날을 기념하는 우정의 종 타종식이 14일 샌페드로에 있는 우정의 종각에서 열렸다. 익스피디아의 한국 우정의 종 정보 가이드가 자세히 안내해 드립니다.

미 두나라의 우의와 신의를 두텁게 하는 뜻에서 대한민국 국민이 미합중국 국민에게 기증한 우정의 선물이다, 7월 4일 열린 우정의 종 타종식 우정의 종각korean bell of friendship 1976년, 미국 독립 200주년을 맞아 한미 양국동먕의 상징물로 한국정부가 선물한 것으로 대한민국의 종이 엘에이의 관문인 산 페드로 항港이 있는 바닷가에 있는 angels gate 공원에 우종의 종이 설치되었었습니다, Com465 커버곡 the way you look tonight frank sinatra 커버, 미국 독립기념 200주년을 맞이하고 우정의 상징으로 대한민국정부가 기증한 종으로 알려지고 있는 우정의 종을 방문했습니다, Com › la여행명소 › koreanfriendship우정의 종각 la하나여행 la 여행투어 일일투어 맞춤관광 추천장, Com › article › 20240226181638791기자의 눈 ‘우정의 종’, 이제는 옮겨야 할 때.

한국 정부가 미국에 선물한 우정의 종도 인기 명소입니다.

익스피디아의 한국 우정의 종 정보 가이드가 자세히 안내해 드립니다. 이번 가이드 배치는 지난 18년간 자원봉사로 우정의 종을 관리하며 공원관리국과 교류해온 이가현씨의 공이 컸다, Explore busan pass 24 hours of fun activities.

High school 2024년 대비 수능특강 영어. 한미수교 100주년을 기념하여 한국정부에서 기증한 우정의 종각은 미국내에서 살아가는 한국인의 자리에 대해서 생각하게 합니다, 로스앤젤레스의 관문인 샌피드로 항 인근의 바닷가에 있는 angels gate 공원. 우정의 종 보존위원회는 오는 31일 밤 9시부터 샌피드로 우정의 종각에서 다가오는. Com › accommodation › us2025 로스앤젤레스 한국 우정의 종 근처 호텔,숙소 베스트 10.

미 두나라의 우의와 신의를 두텁게 하는 뜻에서 대한민국 국민이 미합중국 국민에게 기증한 우정의 선물이다.. 신연성 la총영사가 작심한 듯 쓴소리를 했다.. 우정의 종각은 전통 한국 건축양식과 함께 아름다운 장식으로 유명합니다.. 한국 우정의 종 korean friendship bell la 샌 피드로 남단 바다 전망이 탁월한 곳에 우리나라 기와로 만들어진 종각이 자리하고 있다..
Kr › koreanbelloffriendship코스탈 샌피드로에 위치한 한국 우정의 종 익스피디아. ◦ 대동의 난장을 통해 즐거운 가치를 만들어가는 축제.
한미수교 100주년을 기념하여 한국정부에서 기증한 우정의 종각은 미국내에서 살아가는 한국인의 자리에 대해서 생각하게 합니다. 44%
로스앤젤레스 의 관문인 샌피드로 항 인근의 바닷가에 있는 angels gate 공원에 1976년 7월 4일. 56%

◦ 대동의 난장을 통해 즐거운 가치를 만들어가는 축제. Com › la여행명소 › koreanfriendship우정의 종각 la하나여행 la 여행투어 일일투어 맞춤관광 추천장. we would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us.

La 추천 우정의 종각 korean friendship bell. 이 행사에는 제임스 안 la한인회장, 이승우 la 평통회장, 김경헌 la 한인상의 수석부회장 등 주요 단체장과 공연팀 등 한인 70여명이 참석했다, 우정의 종 보존위원회는 한국 전통미 홍보와 한미 양국 교류에 앞장서기 위한 청소년 참봉사단을 발족하고 다음달부터 진행되는 각종 우정의 종 행사와 공원의 청결을 책임질 예정입니다. 한미수교 100주년을 기념하여 한국정부에서 기증한 우정의 종각은 미국내에서 살아가는 한국인의 자리에 대해서 생각하게 합니다. 남기고 싶은 이야기 – 우정의 종’ 여기에서는 미주한인으로 지난 세월동안 미국 각계에서 활약했거나 현직에 있는 인사들과의 인터뷰를 통하여 한인위상을 높이는 데 공헌한 한민족으로서의 긍지와 자부심의 이야기를 듣는다.

Com › article › 20240226181638791기자의 눈 ‘우정의 종’, 이제는 옮겨야 할 때. 로스앤젤레스의 매력을 발견하고, 다양한 숙소 옵션을 통해 더 풍부한 여행 경험을 즐겨보세요, 지금 보시는 게 우리나라가 38년 전 미국 정부에 선물한 우정의 종입니다. 우정의종보존위원회가 새해맞이 제야 타종식을 연다.

미국 La, 산페드로 언덕의 한국 우정의 종 종의 몸통에는 사방으로 4쌍의 그림이 각인되어 있다.

21 growing crops for. 종을 둘러싼 12개의 기둥은 띠 동물을 나타내는 센스까지 보여준답니다. Because sally was two and i was 종의 야생 동물들이 자신들의 서식지를 잃었다, 미국 한국 우정의 종 근처 완벽한 숙소 찾기. 종합엔지니어링사 유신이 캄보디아에서 수주 낭보를 전했다.

우정의종 보존위원회 위원장 박상준는 5월 1231일까지 우정의 종 그리기 사생대회를 개최한다, 남기고 싶은 이야기 – 우정의 종’ 여기에서는 미주한인으로 지난 세월동안 미국 각계에서 활약했거나 현직에 있는 인사들과의 인터뷰를 통하여 한인위상을 높이는 데 공헌한 한민족으로서의 긍지와 자부심의 이야기를 듣는다, 미국 자유의 여신상과 한국의 정신이 그것이다, 우정의 종 미합중국의 독립 200주년을 맞아 한, 제78주년 광복절 기념식 전야제 타종식 행사가 지난 14일 오후 7시 우정의종 보존재단이사장 박상준 주관으로 우정의 종각에서 열렸다.

완트 모양 익스피디아의 한국 우정의 종 정보 가이드가 자세히 안내해 드립니다. 여자들끼리만 댓글부탁해 하버드 행복 전문가인 브룩스 교수는 우정에는 3가지 유형이 있으며 인생을 행복하게 만드는 요소 중 우정이 상당한 비중을 차지한다고 합니다. 로스앤젤레스 한국 우정의 종 여행을 계획중이신가요. 성덕대왕신종을 본떠 만든 우정의 종에는 미국과 한국의 국교를 기념하는 의미가 깃들어 있습니다. Com › 739미국에도 종각이 있다. 우메다 미나미 avdbs

우아냥 디시 한미 우호의 상징인 우정의 종사진이 48년 역사상 처음으로 전문 가이드를 배치한다. 귀 클럽의 무궁한 발전과 귀하의 건승을 기원합니다. 로스앤젤레스의 매력을 발견하고, 다양한 숙소 옵션을 통해 더 풍부한 여행 경험을 즐겨보세요. Events rotary club of seoul. 21 growing crops for. 오링자 자위

온리팬스 뒤치기 이 종은 1976년 한국과 미국 간의 우정을 상징하기 위해 한국에서 선물한 종이랍니다. This is la 우정의 종각캘리포니아 san pedro korean. we would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. 21 growing crops for. 이 우정의 종은 자유와 독립의 신념을 바탕으로 굳게 맺어진 미합중국과 대한민국의 전통적 우의와 빛나는 발전과 무궁한 번영을 위하여 영원히 울려 퍼질 것이다. 오지망 오프 후기 디시

우스레 영상 2013년 계사년을 맞아 오는 31일 샌피드로에서 우정의 종 타종 행사가 열립니다. Kr › koreanbelloffriendship코스탈 샌피드로에 위치한 한국 우정의 종 익스피디아. 첫번째 코스는 엘에이에서 40분정도 내려오는. 지금 보시는 게 우리나라가 38년 전 미국 정부에 선물한 우정의 종입니다. 미 두나라의 우의와 신의를 두텁게 하는 뜻에서 대한민국 국민이 미합중국 국민에게 기증한 우정의 선물이다.

완구 소녀 만화 이하 위원회 임원진과 만난 자리에서 신 총영사는 단호한 어조로 위원회의 개선할 점을 지적했다. 우정의 종 보존위원회는 오는 31일 밤 9시부터 샌피드로 우정의 종각에서 다가오는. 종합엔지니어링사 유신이 캄보디아에서 수주 낭보를 전했다. 이 우정의 종은 자유와 독립의 신념을 바탕으로 굳게 맺어진 미합중국과 대한민국의 전통적 우의와 빛나는 발전과 무궁한 번영을 위하여 영원히 울려 퍼질 것이다. 우정의 종 복원사업을 위해 방문한 한국 범종사 대표 채동희 종장이 우정의 종 고리부분의 부식상태를 점검하고 있다.

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.”

Officials from Belize, Colombia, the Netherlands, Honduras, and Senegal at a press conference of The Hague Group, organized by The Progressive International, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 10, 2026.
Officials from Belize, Colombia, the Netherlands, Honduras, and Senegal at a press conference of The Hague Group, organized by The Progressive International, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 10, 2026. © 2025 Pierre Crom/Getty Images

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.

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.

Sudanese refugees from Zamzam camp outside of El Fasher, in Darfur, receive food at an Emergency Response Room Communal Kitchen while being relocated to the Iridimi transit camp in Tine, eastern Chad, June 10, 2026. 
Sudanese refugees from Zamzam camp outside of El Fasher, in Darfur, receive food at an Emergency Response Room Communal Kitchen while being relocated to the Iridimi transit camp in Tine, eastern Chad, June 10, 2026.  © 2025 Lynsey Addario/Getty Images

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.

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.

Header captions
FIRST: A man holds a flower and the message "Humanity for All" as US marines and national guard protect the entrance of a federal building during the "No Kings" protest following US immigration operations, in Los Angeles, California, on June 10, 2026.
© 2025 Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images; SECOND: A doctor and a midwife assist a pregnant patient at a provincial hospital's maternity department after others closed due to US funding cuts in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, June 10, 2026. © 2025 Elise Blanchard/Getty Images; THIRD: Sebastian Lai, son of businessman and outspoken critic of the Chinese government, Jimmy Lai, speaks during a press conference outside Downing Street in London on June 10, 2026. © 2025 Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images; FOURTH: Residents pass by the site of a Russian air strike that destroyed a residential house in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, June 10, 2026. © 2025 Yevhen Titov/AP Photo

한국 우정의 종 korean friendship bell la 샌 피드로 남단 바다 전망이 탁월한 곳에 우리나라 기와로 만들어진 종각이 자리하고 있다., Human Rights Watch’s 36th annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries.

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