his weekend, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin departed on the Biden administration’s first visit to Southeast Asia, with stops planned in Singapore, Hanoi, and Manila. The tour is an effort to strengthen ties with a region that has received little attention since President Biden’s election. While Defense Secretary Austin’s meetings are expected to focus largely on strategies to respond to China’s growing influence and combat COVID-19, the visit also presents an opportunity to press influential nations for stronger action on human rights emergencies in the region. Secretary Austin must use the trip not only to address the humanitarian and human rights risks posed by the pandemic, but also to push for actions that will end both violations by the military in Myanmar and longstanding impunity for human rights in the Philippines.
Secretary Austin’s first stop is in Singapore, where he will speak at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Fullerton Lecture series. A longtime U.S. ally, Singapore is uniquely positioned among Southeast Asian nations to impact one of the most pressing rights challenges in the region: the ongoing violence in Myanmar, where the military has perpetuated rights violations against civilians since the February 1st coup. The crisis has been compounded by a punishing wave of COVID-19 infections, leading to a collapse of the healthcare sector. Amid the chaos, accusations mount that the military is intercepting supplies and aid intended for civilians. As the regional financial leader, Singapore can work with donors to ensure funds are delivered safely and expediently to humanitarian and civil society organizations on the ground. Secretary Austin must encourage Singaporean authorities, whose financial standing in the region affords them significant influence, to join calls for the Myanmar military to end human rights violations and face accountability for attacks perpetrated against civilians.
Secretary Austin’s meetings in Hanoi present a second opportunity to influence the crisis in Myanmar. Vietnam was one of 119 countries who voted at the UN General Assembly in support of a resolution to “end the flow of arms” into Myanmar. The vote exposed how divided the crisis has left an ASEAN bloc obsessed with unity. Abstentions from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Brunei suggest that ASEAN lacks the will and coordination necessary to mobilize meaningful action on Myanmar. Three months after announcing a “consensus” on five points of action, the bloc has failed to make any visible progress implanting their own recommendations. Secretary Austin must urge Vietnamese officials to think beyond a response to the crisis predicated on unlikely ASEAN unity and use their seat on the UN Security Council to advance a comprehensive global arms embargo.
In Manila, Secretary Austin will likely seek to improve the U.S.-Philippines efforts to ensure they are prepared to counter any incursions by the Chinese government in the South China Sea. This strategic partnership has been criticized by members of both governments. Duterte’s administration has frequently threatened to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement on which the U.S. relies to maintain its forward deployment in the region. While the State Department recently announced approval of a plan to sell more than 2.5 billion USD worth of military equipment to the government of the Philippines, there are dissenting voices within the U.S. government as well. Representative Susan Wild recently reintroduced her Philippine Human Rights Act, which would prevent military aid to the Philippines until the authorities end human rights violations and seek accountability for previously committed violations.
The Duterte administration is also facing international pressure to advance accountability. International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced in June that she was seeking authorization from the Court’s judges for a full investigation into the crime against humanity of murder, committed by the government in the context of the “war on drugs” campaign. President Duterte has repeatedly refused to cooperate, despite a ruling on July 21 by his own country’s Supreme Court that his government remains obligated to work with the ICC. Secretary Austin should press the Duterte administration to fulfill its obligations to cooperate with any ICC investigation, end any ongoing rights violations, and pursue accountability, including for violations committed during the infamous “war on drugs”.
During his campaign, President Biden pledged to make human rights a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. On the administration’s first trip to Southeast Asia, ongoing human rights crises must be addressed if that promise is to be fulfilled. Upholding and respecting human rights must be the foundation on which the U.S. builds its strategic partnerships. Secretary Austin should demonstrate on his tour that he is willing to confront ongoing human rights emergencies – and should insist that his counterparts in Singapore, Vietnam, and Philippines do the same.
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Can the U.S. Strengthen Human Rights in Asia?
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III boards an E-4B aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Photo by Lisa Ferdinando, U.S. Department of Defense.
July 27, 2021
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is visiting Southeast Asia as the Biden Administration seeks to strengthen ties with the region. The U.S. should make the strengthening of these strategic relationships contingent on regional governments addressing humanitarian concerns, writes Carolyn Nash.
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his weekend, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin departed on the Biden administration’s first visit to Southeast Asia, with stops planned in Singapore, Hanoi, and Manila. The tour is an effort to strengthen ties with a region that has received little attention since President Biden’s election. While Defense Secretary Austin’s meetings are expected to focus largely on strategies to respond to China’s growing influence and combat COVID-19, the visit also presents an opportunity to press influential nations for stronger action on human rights emergencies in the region. Secretary Austin must use the trip not only to address the humanitarian and human rights risks posed by the pandemic, but also to push for actions that will end both violations by the military in Myanmar and longstanding impunity for human rights in the Philippines.
Secretary Austin’s first stop is in Singapore, where he will speak at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Fullerton Lecture series. A longtime U.S. ally, Singapore is uniquely positioned among Southeast Asian nations to impact one of the most pressing rights challenges in the region: the ongoing violence in Myanmar, where the military has perpetuated rights violations against civilians since the February 1st coup. The crisis has been compounded by a punishing wave of COVID-19 infections, leading to a collapse of the healthcare sector. Amid the chaos, accusations mount that the military is intercepting supplies and aid intended for civilians. As the regional financial leader, Singapore can work with donors to ensure funds are delivered safely and expediently to humanitarian and civil society organizations on the ground. Secretary Austin must encourage Singaporean authorities, whose financial standing in the region affords them significant influence, to join calls for the Myanmar military to end human rights violations and face accountability for attacks perpetrated against civilians.
Secretary Austin’s meetings in Hanoi present a second opportunity to influence the crisis in Myanmar. Vietnam was one of 119 countries who voted at the UN General Assembly in support of a resolution to “end the flow of arms” into Myanmar. The vote exposed how divided the crisis has left an ASEAN bloc obsessed with unity. Abstentions from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Brunei suggest that ASEAN lacks the will and coordination necessary to mobilize meaningful action on Myanmar. Three months after announcing a “consensus” on five points of action, the bloc has failed to make any visible progress implanting their own recommendations. Secretary Austin must urge Vietnamese officials to think beyond a response to the crisis predicated on unlikely ASEAN unity and use their seat on the UN Security Council to advance a comprehensive global arms embargo.
In Manila, Secretary Austin will likely seek to improve the U.S.-Philippines efforts to ensure they are prepared to counter any incursions by the Chinese government in the South China Sea. This strategic partnership has been criticized by members of both governments. Duterte’s administration has frequently threatened to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement on which the U.S. relies to maintain its forward deployment in the region. While the State Department recently announced approval of a plan to sell more than 2.5 billion USD worth of military equipment to the government of the Philippines, there are dissenting voices within the U.S. government as well. Representative Susan Wild recently reintroduced her Philippine Human Rights Act, which would prevent military aid to the Philippines until the authorities end human rights violations and seek accountability for previously committed violations.
The Duterte administration is also facing international pressure to advance accountability. International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced in June that she was seeking authorization from the Court’s judges for a full investigation into the crime against humanity of murder, committed by the government in the context of the “war on drugs” campaign. President Duterte has repeatedly refused to cooperate, despite a ruling on July 21 by his own country’s Supreme Court that his government remains obligated to work with the ICC. Secretary Austin should press the Duterte administration to fulfill its obligations to cooperate with any ICC investigation, end any ongoing rights violations, and pursue accountability, including for violations committed during the infamous “war on drugs”.
During his campaign, President Biden pledged to make human rights a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. On the administration’s first trip to Southeast Asia, ongoing human rights crises must be addressed if that promise is to be fulfilled. Upholding and respecting human rights must be the foundation on which the U.S. builds its strategic partnerships. Secretary Austin should demonstrate on his tour that he is willing to confront ongoing human rights emergencies – and should insist that his counterparts in Singapore, Vietnam, and Philippines do the same.
