On Righting Trade: Human Rights, Trade, and the 2008 Elections

ID:
Title:	On Righting Trade: Human Rights, Trade, and the 2008 Elections
Source:	World Policy Journal
Parties:
Dispute Resolution Organ:
Year:	2007-2008
Pages:	0
Author(s):	Aaronson, Susan Ariel
Keywords:	human rights, international trade, trade law, United States, China, George W. Bush
Abstract:	Aaronson takes the acceptance of the President, at that time, George W. Bush to attend the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 to start a reflection on the actions taken by the US government to ‘promote’ human rights through trade. Despite the pressure Bush received at that time, he denied to put pressure on the Chinese government regarding human rights issues and declared that China’s human rights performance is not a “trade issue” (p.19). Aaronson affirms that Bush’s visit brings the questions on when human rights and trade should be related, on how trade policy is and should be made. She argues for the responsibility of the states to uphold human rights. She criticizes Bush’s administration for concentrating on bilateral rather than on multilateral trade agreements and for its lost of credibility and moral authority for demanding human rights standards from developing states. After that, Aaronson goes through the position that presidential candidates were adopting at that time with respect to the relationship between trade and human rights. She calls for the US to forging a coherent trade policy by asking the right questions and looking at human rights as a market. She concludes giving certain suggestions the US government should follow convinced that trade agreements can enhance human rights but only if Americans take the lead in rewriting their policies.
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