National secur it y

IV.  Values

To lead effectively in a world experiencing significant political change, the United States must live our 

values at home while promoting universal values abroad. From the Middle East to Ukraine to Southeast 

Asia to the Americas, citizens are more empowered in seeking greater freedoms and accountable 

institutions. But these demands have often produced an equal and opposite reaction from backers of 

discredited authoritarian orders, resulting in crackdowns and conflict. Many of the threats to our security 

in recent years arose from efforts by authoritarian states to oppose democratic forces—from the crisis 

caused by Russian aggression in Ukraine to the rise of ISIL within the Syrian civil war. By the same token, 

many of our greatest opportunities stem from advances for liberty and rule of law—from sub-Saharan 

Africa to Eastern Europe to Burma.

Defending democracy and human rights is related to every enduring national interest. It aligns us with 

the aspirations of ordinary people throughout the world. We know from our own history people must 

lead their own struggles for freedom if those struggles are to succeed. But America is also uniquely situ-

ated—and routinely expected—to support peaceful democratic change. We will continue mobilizing 

international support to strengthen and expand global norms of human rights. We will support women, 

youth, civil society, journalists, and entrepreneurs as drivers of change. We will continue to insist that 

governments uphold their human rights obligations, speak out against repression wherever it occurs, 

and work to prevent, and, if necessary, respond to mass atrocities.

Our closest allies in these efforts will be, as they always have, other democratic states. But, even where our 

strategic interests require us to engage governments that do not share all our values, we will continue to 

speak out clearly for human rights and human dignity in our public and private diplomacy. Any support 

we might provide will be balanced with an awareness of the costs of repressive policies for our own 

security interests and the democratic values by which we live. Because our human rights advocacy will 

be most effective when we work in concert with a wide range of partners, we are building coalitions with 

civil society, religious leaders, businesses, other governments, and international organizations. We will 

also work to ensure people enjoy the same rights—and security—online as they are entitled to enjoy 

offline by opposing efforts to restrict information and punish speech.