Crossing the Border: The Interdependence of Foreign Policy and Racial Justice in the United States

Scholars, social activists, and policy makers often regard the United States' foreign policy as it relates to human rights and its domestic policy with respect to race as distinct areas, separated by the nation's border. Although this border exists geographically, through the assertion of jurisdiction, and in the recognition of citizenship, is there really a border between our foreign and domestic policy in these matters? The U.S. government is often criticized for failing to comply with international human rights law and for perpetuating economic and racial inequality in its foreign policy. Racism within the United States is recognized as pervasive and virulent, but generally considered unrelated to U.S. foreign policy.

For the most part, scholars and activists concentrate on either the international or the domestic realm, reflecting a widely accepted assumption that the problems confronted in each are distinct. There is, however, evidence that this border between the two is much more permeable than contemporary legal analyses or social attitudes suggest.