12/10/2019

FOREIGN POLICY/HUMAN RIGHTS/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on at least 20 more people accused of human rights abuses, targeting government officials, businessmen and others in countries from Myanmar to Pakistan — but still avoiding penalizing some world leaders deemed critical partners. The new sanctions, announced Tuesday [12-10-19], are the latest in a cascade of such penalties unveiled in recent days by the Treasury and State Departments, and just another example of how much the Trump administration relies on sanctions as a tool of coercion in its foreign policy. The latest round may help counter narrative that Republican President Donald Trump and his aides do little to promote human rights. But it also could feed into the criticism that the Trump team is unusually selective in whom it penalizes — sticking primarily to people in countries it considers U.S. adversaries or of limited geostrategic importance.”

Nahal Toosi, “Trump unveils slew of sanctions over human rights abuses overseas,” Politico, December 10, 2019 11:35 am