The degree to which public reports accompanied by the threat of sanctions have been institutionalized

The degree to which public reports accompanied by the threat of sanctions have been institutionalized

in U.S. policy is stunning. A partial list:

Each year we issue detailed human rights reports on every country in the world, including those whose

performance appears superior to our own. We judge whether other countries have provided sufficient

cooperation in fighting illegal drugs. We place countries whose protection of intellectual property has

been insufficient on “watch lists,” threatening trade sanctions against those that do not improve. We

judge respect for labor rights abroad through a public petition process set up under the System of

Generalized (trade) Preferences. We publish annual reports on other countries’ respect for religious

freedom.

And more: We seek to ensure the adequacy of civil aviation oversight and the security of foreign

airports through special inspections and categorizing of government performance. We ban shrimp imports

from countries whose fishing fleets do not employ sea turtle extruder devices and yellowfin tuna

imports where the protection of dolphins is in our view inadequate. We report on trafficking in persons

and categorize the performance of every country where such trafficking is a problem, which is just

about everywhere. And we withhold military education, training and materiel assistance from countries

that do not enter into agreements with us to protect our nationals from the jurisdiction of the

International Criminal Court.