Author

Young-Jin Kim, Kookmin University 

Abstract

Since the end of World War II, the international order made by the United States remains centered upon the free markets in terms of economics; human rights, and democracy in terms of politics. Human rights in particular are the means by which to relativize sovereignty, considered absolute in Westphalia system, and to politically intervene in other states. At the same time, it is a core value that the United States employs to maintain the current rules and order in this transitional period of China’s rise.

The multilateral, bilateral, and unilateral human rights diplomacy of Washington, however, has not been very successful. There have been setbacks due to limited international support as countries are more focused upon economic gains, persevering sovereignty, while there is ambiguity over the definition of human rights and a lack of coherence. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that human rights and democracy have been embraced universally, even within China. While it is hard to determine if this is the direct result of U.S. diplomacy toward China, it is a clear sign that America's values and rules are respected and even have expanded. Therefore, human rights and democracy issues will remain an integral part in diplomacy toward China.

The full text in Korean is available here