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US has trampled on human rights by quitting council

The United States has called it quits again. By ceasing to be part of multilateral engagements and policies that are deemed out of sync with its own interests in trade, defence, climate change, and now human rights, the country is continuing its policy of isolationism. The decision to leave the Human Rights Council - on the grounds that it "does not allow us to remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organisation that makes a mockery of human rights", according to Nikki Kaley, US Ambassador to the United Nations - came a day after the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights strongly criticised the separation of children from their parents at the US-Mexico border. The decision to quit is not surprising, though. The country has always held the council in contempt. A year ago, the US had issued an ultimatum accusing it of chronic bias against Israel and asked for reform.
The UN Human Rights Council is, in fact, the best tool at the disposal of the international community to address rights abuses. And if the aim of the US was a revamp of the body, it could have done so from within. It is the membership in the body that gives countries a voice to debate human rights atrocities. The council may not be perfect, but it still remains an important force in the implementation of justice and has a decent track record with regards to investigating specific human rights abuses and norm setting. It has played a constructive role whenever debates by big powers ran into trouble at the Security Council. Instead of stepping up its fight from within, the US has chosen the easy way of stepping out. The emergence of a Chinese leadership in this scenario cannot be ignored, though it will not augur well as Beijing's underlying aim is to make it hard for the council to investigate the internal affairs of individual countries. The move to quit reinforces Trump's decision to advance Israel's agenda on the world stage. But the council will continue to debate Gaza and Israeli atrocities. There will be more resolutions on Israel, and more votes. But does Trump realise that Israel will face more isolation with no superpower to support the Zionist nation?