Tyson Barker, the US #State Dept's former deputy special representative for #Ukraine's economic recovery, said the peace proposal as outlined in the Bloomberg report would be immediately rejected by the Ukrainians.

"The best the Ukrainians can do is remain firm in their objections & their conditions for a negotiated settlement, while demonstrating their gratitude for American support," said Barker, a senior fellow w/the Atlantic Council.

But #Trump’s new directive appears to envision a different approach, focused on US forces directly capturing or killing people involved in the drug trade.

Labeling #cartels as #terrorists allows the #US “to use other elements of American power, intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, whatever, to target these groups if we have an opportunity to do it,” #MarcoRubio, Secy of #State & #NationalSecurity adviser, said Thursday in an interview w/the Catholic news outlet EWTN.

Directing the #military to crack down on the drug trade also raises legal issues, including whether it would count as murder if #US forces acting outside of a congressionally authorized armed conflict were to kill civilians—even criminal suspects—who pose no imminent threat.

It is unclear what #Trump White House, #Pentagon & #State Dept lawyers have said about the directive or whether #DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel has produced an authoritative opinion assessing the issues.

The move was a shift from long-standing #US practice—even under #MarcoRubio himself. The Secy of #State has personally congratulated leaders in Trinidad, Tobago & Ecuador for conducting “free & fair” #elections since Jan.

Last month, the #Trump admin tightened #sanctions on #Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, stepping up a feud w/Brazil’s govt for prosecuting fmr president Jair #Bolsonaro, …for his role in a #violent #coup plot in 2022.

“The #State Department’s annual #HumanRights report sheds light on foreign governments’ failure to respect their citizens’ fundamental rights,” #MarcoRubio said a statement then, adding that it was important for the world to know that “the #UnitedStates will stand with #freedom-seeking people around the world & will not tolerate violations against their rights.”

During his time on the #Senate #ForeignRelations Cmte, #MarcoRubio praised the #State Dept’s annual #HumanRights reports. In 2012, he said “the world has been a better place [for 2 centuries] because America has strived to defend these fundamental human rights both at home & abroad.”

Buckingham chastised Secy of #State #MarcoRubio, who as a US senator for many years was a vocal defender of #HumanRights.

“Secretary Rubio has repeatedly asserted that his State Department has not abandoned human rights, but it is clear by this & other actions that this administration only cares about the human rights of some people…in some countries, when it’s convenient to them,” said Buckingham….

The draft reports examined by WaPo contain no reference to #gender-based #violence or violence against #LGBTQIA people. Keifer Buckingham, who worked on these issues at the #State Dept until January, said it was a “glaring omission” in the case of #Russia, where the country’s Supreme Court had banned #LGBTQ+ organizations & labeled them “extremist,” with raids & arrests last year.

The internal guidance was written by Samuel Samson, a #Trump political appointee at the #State Dept. Samson, initially little known…, attracted attention after writing an article for the agency’s Substack in May criticizing #Europe for what he alleged was the continent’s descent into “a hotbed of digital censorship, mass migration, restrictions on religious freedom, & numerous other assaults on *democratic* self-governance.”

#law #HumanRights #InternationalLaw #HumanitarianLaw #tyranny

It is unclear whether the reports eventually transmitted to #Congress & released to the public will mirror the drafts.

The internal guidance circulated by #State Dept earlier this year INSTRUCTED diplomats responsible for drafting reports to REMOVE references to numerous potential #HumanRights violations, including govts that had deported people to a country where they could face #torture, crimes that involve #violence against #LGBTQ people & govt #corruption.

The #Trump #State Dept has yet to officially release this year’s reports, which cover activities & observations made in 2024. Current & former #US officials say most of this year’s reports were nearly completed when the #Biden admin transitioned out in Jan.

The drafts for #ElSalvador & #Russia are marked “finalized,” while the draft for #Israel is marked “quality check.” All were edited in the last few days, the documents show.

#US diplomats have compiled the #State Dept’s annual #HumanRights reports for almost 50 years. Their findings [were] considered the most thorough & wide-ranging of their kind & [were] routinely relied upon by #courts inside & outside the #UnitedStates.

The human rights reports are congressionally mandated to be sent to lawmakers by the end of February. Public release typically happens in March or April.

…[a senior #State Dept official said,] the #Trump admin would bring a new focus to some issues, including backsliding on *freedom of expression* [being publicly #racist, #heterosexist & #misogynistic w/o backlash] in some countries allied with the #UnitedStates, even as the admin has itself faced criticism on free-speech grounds for seeking to deport foreigners studying in the US who have criticized #Israel’s conduct in #Gaza.