Introduction to A Critical Juncture: Human Rights & U.S. Standing in the World Under the Obama Administration

• Author: Board of Editors
• Pages: 305-306

Introduction to A Critical Juncture: Human Rights & U.S.

Standing in the World Under the Obama Administration,

Issue 20:2

In March 2010, Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems

(“TLCP”) hosted a symposium entitled A Critical Juncture: Human R ights &

U.S. Standing in the World Under the Obama Administration. This second

issue of Volume 20 of TLCP continues our exploration of the topic.

In The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Forgotten

History of the White House Children‟s Conferences , 1909–1971, Maria Grahn-

Farley condenses her extensive research on the White House Childre n‘s

Conferences to show how the tradition of the child‘s rights in the United

States aligns with the goals and purposes of the U.N. Co nvention on the

Rights of the Child (―CRC‖). The Article ide ntifies specific rights enumerated

both in the reports from the White House Confere nces and the CRC and the

few distinctions between them, as well as a lost p rogressive attitude toward

child rights that previously existed even in time s of eco nomic depression and

war. The Article leaves the reader with the belief that a revival o f the

tradition of the White House Conferences, and CRC ratification, could renew

and enlighten the debate over a common national agenda for the

improvement of rights for U.S. children.

In A Portfolio Theory of Foreign Affairs: U.S. Relations w ith the Muslim

World, Liaquat Ali Khan applies portfolio theory of monetary investments to

the field of U.S. relations with Muslim countries. Khan first explains the

relevance and insight provided by conceptualizing the U.S. approach to

fostering relationships with the Islamic world as an individual long term

monetary investment strategy. Conceiving of the United States as a unitary

actor throughout changing administrations, Khan suggests that the U.S.

varied approaches may be more damaging to long term American interests

than previously thought. Finally, Khan concludes by considering the Obama

Administration's policy, and whether it is more consistent with long term

U.S. interests.

In Paris 19 19 and Rome 1998: Different Treaties, Different Presidents, Different

Senates, and the Same Dilemma, Harry Rhea analyzes the commonalities

between two major treaties of the 20th Century: the Treaty of Versailles and

the Rome Treaty for the International Criminal Court. Both were signed by

Presidents but neve r ratified by the Senate, a failure w hich many outside

observers identified as U.S. disregard fo r international law. Rhea traces the

United States' major role in negotiating and drafting both treaties, and

examines the reasons that the Senate refused advice and consent. Rhea

concludes by observing the potential affect that Barack Obam a's preside ncy

will have o n the Rome treaty, as the Treaty of Versailles and its League of

Nations have sadly long since j oined its fellow European-led peace initiatives

in history's wastebasket.