The Great Freedom Recession

What is the state of freedom and human rights across the globe? How did human rights defenders and democracy activists fare in 2009? Not well, says the latest annual report card on global human rights and civil liberties published by Freedom House, an independent freedom watchdog based in Washington, D.C.

With all the talk about jobs, the housing bubble, and America's deep economic downturn, another kind of recession -- one that spans the width of the globe and cannot be overcome with large federal bailouts or stimulus packages -- has failed to capture most Americans' attention. Yet, according to the organization's report, last year was marred by intensified repression by authoritarian regimes and backsliding on human rights and civil liberties worldwide, a reality which could ultimately prove far more threatening to world stability and security than the global economic crisis.

For the fourth consecutive year, the state of democracy in the world -- measured using a variety of key indicators, including freedom of the press, presence of free and fair elections, and respect for minorities -- has significantly eroded. That represents the worst period of decline for global freedom since the organization began counting in 1972.

Violent repression of protesters on the streets of Iran, lengthy prison sentences for dissidents in China, attacks on leading human rights activists in Russia, and terrorist attacks across the Middle East and North Africa represent just a sampling of the headlines signaling the downward slide for human rights last year. There were serious democratic setbacks in Latin America, the former Soviet Union, and Africa, where a staggering 15 different countries backtracked on human rights. The picture is perhaps most bleak in the 17 countries of the Arab world, where on almost all key indicators many Arab governments hit rock-bottom.

That a Washington-based organization which receives nearly 70 percent of its funding from the U.S. government is measuring the human rights record of other countries in the world is surely somewhat paradoxical. In failing to fulfill his promise to close Guantanamo Bay, curtailing the civil liberties of Arab-Americans, and exonerating Bush administration officials for past war crimes, President Obama has not exactly remade America into the world's exemplary democracy. But, the report should nevertheless not be dismissed outright, as it serves as powerful evidence that we all must do better in advocating for change across the globe.

The regrettable backsliding on human rights in the Arab world should come as no surprise to the Obama administration, which has largely abandoned the promotion of democracy and the pursuit of a human rights agenda in the region. Whereas the Bush administration embarked upon a robust and overreaching democracy promotion strategy in the Arab world -- launching a war in Iraq and pressing hard on the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Palestinian governments for reform -- the Obama administration has tried to distance itself from the past by carving out stable and strong partnerships with repressive Arab governments. Fearing that the presence of free and fair elections in the region would give rise to Islamist actors perceived to be antithetical to U.S. interests -- like Hizbollah in Lebanon or Hamas in Gaza -- Obama has tossed aside democracy promotion as a goal. Desperate to keep oil flowing from Saudi Arabia and maintain Egyptian and Jordanian support for U.S. policies toward Israel and Palestine, Obama has barely made mention of human rights in his meetings with the leaders of these countries.

The latest report, however, should serve as a poignant reminder that the Obama administration's preference for stability is coming at the expense of the Arab people. If the president wants to truly restore America's credibility in the Arab world and bring about the kind of transformational change that the Arab people are so desperately craving, he should shift his attention away from merely strengthening America's partnerships with Arab governments in the fight against terrorism. Indeed, much of the appeal of groups like al Qaeda stems from Arab citizens' widespread and deep-seated dissatisfaction with their repressive authoritarian governments.

Washington cannot continue to support this status quo, by heaping sophisticated Pentagon weaponry and billions of dollars in foreign aid without political conditions onto the Arab governments that violate the fundamental rights of their citizens. There must be serious consequences when the Saudi government systematically discriminates against its nearly two million Shi'a minority or the Egyptian regime uses an emergency law to hold thousands of opposition figures in prison indefinitely and without charge.

During her latest trip to the Persian Gulf, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton drew jeers before a student audience in Qatar when she based a large part of her call for greater Arab cooperation against Iran on the fact that "Iran is moving toward a military dictatorship." That's because rhetoric aside, Washington has repeatedly showed that it prefers stable Arab dictatorships to genuine democracy in the region. As Clinton embraced the Qatari leadership that itself has arrested and detained dissidents without charge, placed restrictions on the right to freedom expression, exploited migrant workers, and engaged in discrimination and violence against women, it's easy to see why her statement was cast off by the Qatari people as utterly hypocritical.

Actions speak louder than words, and if the Obama administration really wants to win over the Arab public, it must begin to display a stronger commitment to protecting their human rights and fundamental freedoms. There will be no quick fixes, and there are no simple democratic recovery packages that can reverse current trends. But, the latest report could serve as the necessary stimulus for the Obama administration to change course. Understanding that human rights, democracy, and the rule of law -- not military power and partnerships with authoritarian regimes -- are America's most powerful weapons in the fight against terrorism represents the key first step for turning around the great freedom recession and paving the way for a sustainable democratic recovery in 2010.

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