Ep. 47 | The Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights at Five Years

After the Reagan administration, the issue of human rights has come to be captured and dominated by the left, with it now being seen as largely synonymous with progressive policy preferences rather than the fundamental rights that align with our founding principles. Some on the right are now highly skeptical of whether human rights as an issue can be salvaged. Yet this month marks the fifth anniversary of an important document that thoughtfully regrounds human rights within our nation’s founding principles and national interests: The Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights. Peter Berkowitz, Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and Vandenberg Advisory Board member, joins to discuss the legacy of this critical report at this milestone anniversary, as well as the role of human rights in U.S. foreign policy today more broadly.

(3:19) The Creation of the Commission on Unalienable Rights

(6:57) Tension Between Universal Principles and National Sovereignty

(15:05) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and U.S. Engagement With Multilateral Bodies

(21:30) Critics of Human Rights Policy

(26:39) Nahdlatul Ulama

(32:31) The Report’s Long-Term Legacy