US Foreign Policy, Human Rights and Multilateral Assistance

Abstract

Throughout the 1980 presidential campaign, candidate Ronald Reagan clearly and sharply criticised the Carter human rights policy, arguing that it was morally unsound, ineffective, and threatening to United States’ security interests. According to the Reagan view, the policy was morally tenuous because it created a double standard, condemning minor human rights violators while overlooking major offenders. It was considered ineffective because it actually reduced United States influence in the targeted nations. Moreover, Carter’s policy was said to threaten United States security interests because it seriously undermined regimes which, while imperfect, were at least pro-Western. In contrast to Carter, Reagan promised that he would initiate a more realistic human rights programme. By avoiding the pitfalls of the Carter policy and properly understanding the moral questions involved, he would enact a policy that was both ethically sound and politically effective.1 KeywordsForeign PolicyAsian Development BankFiscal YearReagan AdministrationForeign AssistanceThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.