US Condemns Tunisia's Crackdown on Women's Rights... Elsewhere
Tunisian authorities have ordered the ATFD women's rights group to cease activities for one month, according to The New Arab. The State Department quickly expressed its 'deep concern' for restrictions on civil society. One might wonder if this 'concern' extends to allies who commit significantly more egregious human rights violations while accepting billions in 'aid' and 'security assistance,'
often with zero accountability. Perhaps the US's outrage meter is a geopolitical selective service, only activated when the offending nation isn't a lucrative arms buyer or a critical piece in a larger, brutal realpolitik strategy. How many human rights abuses from 'strategic partners' (like Saudi Arabia or Egypt) receive little more than a polite 'frowning upon' if even that? The hypocrisy isn't
just notable; it's practically a foreign policy doctrine.