Human Rights

As the United States pulls away from global multilateral institutions like the United Nations, CSIS scholars undertake research and analysis on the critical role that human rights and democratic values play in a comprehensive and sustainable foreign policy.

Photo: Gerald Anderson/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Photo: Gerald Anderson/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

USAID Youth Engagement: A Potential Generation Lost?

The halting of USAID’s youth programming represents a critical inflection point for U.S. development policy. The termination risks reversing gains in employment, social cohesion, and civic participation that underpin economic and democratic resilience.

Commentary by Hadeil Ali — November 13, 2025

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Benjamin Jensen

Benjamin Jensen

Director, Futures Lab and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department
Will Todman

Will Todman

Chief of Staff, Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department; and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

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Democracy, Human Rights, and American Grand Strategy

Authoritarian states are targeting weaknesses in democratic governance to undermine U.S. interests across the globe. It is time for a bipartisan strategy that rallies alliances, business, and civil society actors in defense of democratic governance and human rights.

Report by Michael J. Green and Derek Mitchell — October 24, 2024

Whither the United States on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights?

This paper briefly explores the history of U.S. positions on economic, social, and cultural rights (ESCR), with a focus on developments since the Obama administration, and makes recommendations on the posture the United States should take on these rights going forward.

Brief by Scott Busby — October 23, 2024

Great Power Competition in the Multilateral System

China is gaining influence within the international institutions that the United States has created, funded, and legitimized. China’s strategic positioning in multilateral bodies has allowed it to exert considerable influence, particularly within the UN system.

Report by Daniel F. Runde and Austin Hardman — October 23, 2024

The 20th Anniversary of the North Korean Human Rights Act

The North Korean Human Rights Act passed twenty years ago in 2004 provided us with useful tools to address the deplorable human rights situation in North Korea by focusing our efforts to help both those who flee the regime and those who are trapped inside the country.

Commentary by Robert R. King — October 18, 2024