One thing you gotta say about The $1 Store Caligula, he’s decisive. When other countries and organizations gave previous, wimpier Presidents a ration of shit about something they did, those little wienies responded by sitting shaking in their chairs, and trying to explain themselves. Not His Lowness, so much as sneeze in his direction, and takes his balls and goes home.
According to reporting in Politico, the US is planning on saying sayonara to the UN Human Rights Council. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US UN Ambassador are scheduled to meet publicly at 5:00 EDT to publicly discuss the decision. Cuz nothing says serious deliberation like pissing and moaning in public about it.
To be sure, the US has been unhappy with the UN Human Rights efforts for years. The original UN Human Rights Commission disbanded under severe criticism when it turned out that several member nations on the commission like China and Saudi Arabia had, let’s just say, spotty human rights records. President George W Bush declined to join the Human Rights Council, feeling that it had not changed significantly enough to fix it’s basic problems. But President Obama signed us up, feeling it was better to have a seat at the table, and to try to affect change from within. The US has long squabbled with both the commission as well as the council over it’s stance on Israel regarding the Palestinian issue.
You can honestly debate the wisdom of the effectiveness of the human rights council, and the US participation in it all you want. But what you can’t debate is the timing and the optics of the decision. The council just ruled last week that the US was violating the human rights of children with the involuntary separation policy at the southern border, and the chair of the council publicly criticized Trump’s policy in a speech to the council yesterday.
It is stunning to compare the fact that while earlier, much weaker Presidents could argue passionately in the council about Israel’s behavior towards the Palestinians, at the first sign of criticism from the council, this President flips the council the bird over his shoulder on the way out the door, unable to convincingly argue his own decision and policy. This is what a banana republic looks like.
