U.S. HUMAN RIGHTS POLICIES WITH CHINA: TRADITIONAL CHALLENGES AND THE IMPACT OF AMERICA’S NEW CONFRONTATIONAL STRATEGY
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Authors
Boyd, Sean S.
Subjects
human rights
China
Uyghur
Uighur
Xinjiang
Hong Kong
Hong Kong protests
Hong Kong normalization
genocide
cultural genocide
Clinton
Bush
Obama
Trump
America First
freedom agenda
Biden
China
Uyghur
Uighur
Xinjiang
Hong Kong
Hong Kong protests
Hong Kong normalization
genocide
cultural genocide
Clinton
Bush
Obama
Trump
America First
freedom agenda
Biden
Advisors
Meyskens, Covell F.
Date of Issue
2023-03
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
This thesis sought to determine the factors that have traditionally challenged effective U.S. human rights policies with China, examining U.S. preferences, policies, developments, and conditions from 1993 through 2021. This thesis investigated the efficacy of U.S. human rights policies with China according to policy makers’ prioritization of those policies, in terms of time, effort, and competing or conflicting impacts to other national interests. U.S. policy makers from the Clinton through the Obama administrations demonstrated a consistent preference to prioritize economic relations and security cooperation with China under an overarching engagement strategy at the expense of effective human rights efforts. Under Trump, however, conditions and events resulted in a major shift from the engagement policy toward a competition strategy. The major contributors to the strategy shift were (1) China’s human rights issues in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, (2) U.S. policy makers’ acknowledgement that China was growing powerful at the expense of the U.S. and that its development had not led to liberalization, and (3) Trump’s America First foreign policy tendencies, which rejected overreliance on China to achieve his national goals. U.S. human rights policies became more effective as policy makers became increasingly willing to use confrontational measures against China’s human rights issues to include imposing sanctions and passing punitive and prevention-related legislation.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.