Leaving UN council will hurt US agenda

The United States has withdrawn from yet another multilateral global agency, citing a so-called chronic bias against the Israeli regime as the reason for leaving the United Nations Human Rights Council.

While the decision was couched in fiery language by America’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, the rhetoric of retreating from a ‘‘hypocritical and self-serving organisation’’ might come back to haunt the US administration as it delves deep into an isolationist stance. The retreat portrays the White House to be always on the lookout for an exit from international groups whose policies it decides to be out-of-tune with US interests.

A withdrawal from the council is no solution to either the US or the UN. Since 2006, the council has passed more than 70 resolutions critical of the Israeli regime – 10 times as often as it has criticised Iran, whose rights record deserves far better scrutiny. And urgent reform of the council must be pursued immediately instead of shelving them as a chronic habit.

Real and credible success on improving human rights around the world can only be achieved when the world’s top powers unite and unequivocally condemn blatant rights violations – whether by the Israeli regime, Iran or anyone else. For that to happen, the US must be an integral and active part of the UN rights council.