Elliott Abrams Quotes

Having strong human rights laws is important, but they must be effectively enforced.

On the human rights side, administration policy has been marked by indifference. When the people of Iran flooded the streets to protest the theft of their presidential election in June 2009, President Obama was silent for 11 days.

New Zealand's been pretty quiet on human rights issues, which we will be taking rather more interest in, and in international labor issues.

... authoritarian states sign on [to human rights treaties] solely for propaganda purposes and then find it fairly easy to flout the rules.

There was not an ambassador in the world who was not my personal human rights representative.

There may be circumstances in which damaging our relationship with countries over human rights is counterproductive and the benefits to human rights may be very small because of our limited capacity to enforce our stance. That was the dilemma the United States faced after Tiananmen Square.

The CUAG specializes in providing support to Chinese human rights lawyers.

We expect them [Salvadoran officials] to work toward the elimination of human rights.

Any Human Rights Council reform that allows countries that sponsor terrorism to remain as members, such as Cuba, is not real reform. And in the past, countries such as Libya, Iran and Syria have participated on this council.

The U.S. government engages with many countries around the world in official dialogues on human rights.

The lesson of history that all human rights are indivisible and that the failure to adhere to this principle jeopardizes the rights of all.

Global human rights law prescribes global norms of conduct. It leaves the question of how to enforce these norms to the countries themselves.

By creating a perception that the U.K. places a higher premium on striking commercial deals than it does on promoting and protecting human rights, our reputation in the world suffers.

Countries often prioritise economic interests over human rights - hence all the kowtowing to China.

We cannot speak of human rights in other countries unless we are going to do our utmost to protect the rights of our own people here at home.

The subject of human rights in China confounds absolute pronouncements.

Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So that policy is not going to change.

I think clearly the United States, as well as other western nations, should stand by their commitments to human rights and democracy and should try to influence other countries to move in that direction.

I would say issues around human rights - either you're going to take a hard stance, or you're not. You can't borrow money from China the way the U.S. has done and then turn around and say, 'But you've got a human-rights problem.' You can't be half pregnant.

There are significant human rights abuses in China. In some areas, the situation is worse today than in the past. In other areas, there have been improvements. We will recognize the latter, and be critical of the former.

Additionally, any Human Rights Council reform that allows countries with despicable human rights records to remain as members, such as China and Saudi Arabia, is not real reform.

The core of human rights work is naming and shaming those who commit abuses, and pressuring governments to put the screws to abusing states. As a result, human rights conventions are unique among international law instruments in depending for their enforcement mostly on the activism of a global civil society movement.

China recognizes and also respects the universality of human rights. We will continue our efforts to promote democracy and the rule of law.

For all the tough talk about China during the presidential debates, Romney and Obama evaded any mention of China's suspect human rights record, corruption, and rule of law. By not tackling these controversial topics, the candidates are protecting a strategic partnership with China at the expense of essential human values and beliefs.

The U.S. State Department has carefully framed its support of such projects as promoting free speech and human rights, but it is clear that the policy is aimed at destabilizing national governments.