- November 21, 2025
- 11:26 am
- Middle East
Washington — This fall, the political landscape in the US capital trembled once again when Donald Trump publicly supported Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — all in the context of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The president’s statement was loud, clear, and contrary to the conclusions of American intelligence, which immediately sparked a wave of accusations against the administration of favoring harsh regimes.
The support expressed from the Oval Office was yet another reminder: the Trump era is a shift from the traditional human rights agenda to a policy of personal sympathies, deals, and pragmatic alliances.
Shift in political priorities
Former Obama administration advisor Brett Bruen notes that such rhetoric undermines the foundation of international relations and serves as a signal to autocrats worldwide: act more boldly, the consequences will be minimal. Trump’s meeting with the prince in Washington only strengthened their political rapprochement — defense, economy, and investments were discussed as if past accusations of Khashoggi’s murder had vanished into thin air.
Meanwhile, the administration prefers to sidestep human rights issues from allies — be it Erdogan or Orban. Their policies draw criticism on the international stage, but in Washington, it seems to have ceased to be a cause for concern.
Selective human rights vision
Notably, Trump shows much greater toughness towards countries that do not share his ideology. Brazil, South Africa, Venezuela — the list is growing. And the further it goes, the clearer it becomes: the human rights agenda is used selectively, as a tool of pressure, rather than a universal principle.
The official response from the White House sounds familiar: everything through the prism of the slogan America First. Press Secretary Anna Kelly assures that Trump cares about human rights “more than anyone.” But analysts see something else — a reduction in attention to violations in partner countries and a parallel increase in pressure on those who are politically on the other side of the barricades.
Rethinking the structure of the State Department
Under Marco Rubio’s leadership, the State Department has restructured the work of the Bureau of Democracy and Human Rights. The new emphasis is on “Western values,” which critics perceive as a step back: reporting has become less detailed, and topics of gender violence and persecution of the LGBT community are gradually moving to the periphery.
Nevertheless, selective interventions continue — Washington condemns human rights violations in certain European countries and openly criticizes the persecution of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.
Mutual courtesies of leaders
Trump’s support for Mohammed bin Salman became part of a larger picture — the president shows a clear sympathy for strong leaders who prefer a tough style of governance. Erdogan, Orban, Putin — figures that evoke admiration in Trump, while democratic institutions become more of a formality for him.
According to experts from Human Rights Watch, the influence of the US as a moral guide in human rights issues is rapidly declining. This is perceived as a turning point in the country’s foreign policy.
And against the backdrop of all these changes in international relations, it is especially noticeable how differently the discussion of global security, alliances, and moral guidelines begins to sound. It is in this new reality that the conclusions of analysts are sharply read, who increasingly compare the administration’s approach to strong leaders with an attempt to rewrite international rules according to their own political style — and this is already becoming a topic that is written about and commented on in NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency, examining international politics through the prism of global challenges and the intensifying struggle for values.
