Student 1 Please us a reference

Should the United States use trade restrictions as a means of encouraging improvements in human rights in some countries? If so, how will this affect U.S. firms that are considering business in less developed countries?

Hello Class,

I believe there are two points under this discussion. The first point would be the United States using trade restrictions as a means of encouraging improvements in human rights in some countries since many of them do not follow human rights as they should. I think as a very important and powerful international trader, the United States has more than enough leverage to threaten to restrict some of its imports from a country that is not following the correct rules of human rights. These threats can make some countries to be scared for their own economy, so it would make them stop violating human rights. (e purpose of human rights analysis in trade issues is to explore how 2ade affects the enjoyment of human rights and how the promotion and protection of human rights can be placed among the objectives of trade reform.(OHCHR, 2011).

However, as for the second point, I believe that international trade should not mix with human rights, because after the United States makes restrictions on a country, the other country can have a bad reaction, and the companies that are engaged in it should not be affected by violations from the government to the human rights. Also, companies from the United States that export to this certain country will have their business affected, which can make the country lose many businesses to international competitors and which will impact the U.S. economy, slowing down its progress. èina is Americaàlargest supplier of imports. American businesses have invested over $275 billion in the country since 1990. And investor holdings of Chinese equities and bonds are steadily rising.(Kaplan, 2022).

Trade sanctions should not solve the ethical beliefs of different countries, so the United States should not use trade restrictions as a means of encouraging improvements in human rights.

References:

Kaplan, S. (January 26, 2022). How to Navigate the Ethical Risks of Doing Business in China. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2022/01/how-to-navigate-the-ethical-risks-of-doing-business-in-chinaLinks to an external site.

OHCHR (October 25, 2011). Human rights in the trade arena. United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2011/10/human-rights-trade-arena