While the Clintons hobnob with members of the global elite, speak in corporate buzzterms and “recognize” CEOs of Fortune 100 companies for their corporate contributions to Clinton-approved projects, the Clintons are sweeping under the rug actions they’ve praised and advocated for that resulted in human rights catastrophes.
Later this morning, General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra and Alibaba’s Jack Ma will participate in a panel discussion on why businesses need to redefine value to include social progress. Ironically, in just the last couple years, both of these companies have gotten away with inhibiting social progress abroad after being hailed by the Clintons.
In 2012, Human Rights Watch reported that GM employees in Uzbekistan were forced to pick cotton in order for the government to reach its yearly quota – a policy of forced labor. Despite condemnation from a host of NGOs, Hillary Clinton’s State Department refused to sanction General Motors and waived its authority downgrade Uzbekistan in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report.
A major reason for Alibaba’s success is its acquiescence to China’s efforts to shut Western businesses out of the country’s e-commerce market. Alibaba conforms to internet censorship rules and Jack Ma publicly supported the 1989 crackdown on protestors in Tiananmen Square – one of the most significant pro-democracy demonstrations in Chinese history. While the Clintons overlook Ma’s record on censorship and democracy, you can be sure they aren’t forgetting the $1.25 million in donations his company made to the Clinton Foundation.
How progressive!