The Trump administration has rescinded a Biden-era regulation that prohibited allies from using US-made weapons in violation of international humanitarian law. This could damage the reputation of the United States around the world, reports The Washington Post.
The daily received on February 21 an order signed by US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, canceling the National Security Memorandum (NSM-20). Several current and former US officials—speaking on condition of anonymity—also confirmed the decision,.
NSM-20, signed by then US President Joe Biden last year, requires all countries receiving US weapons to sign a written commitment that they will not use them to attack civilians or restrict humanitarian assistance. Such conditions already existed, but the concept of a written commitment was new, as was the memorandum’s directive that the State Department report to Congress on the matter.
Biden had agreed to sign this memorandum under pressure from progressive Democrats who sought to limit US military aid to Israel. They argued that this aid was being used to harm civilians in the Gaza Strip.
A State Department report released some months after this memo did not conclude that Israel was actually abusing US security assistance. And this conclusion angered progressive lawmakers who supported NSM-20.
The cancellation of NSM-20 is not the first move by the Trump administration to impose restrictions on policies aimed at protecting human rights.
During his first term, Donald Trump had established a policy of conventional arms transfers that prioritized economic considerations over civilian interests.
And within days of his return to office in January, the Pentagon began the process of dismantling the agency created under the Biden administration to assist civilians during hostilities.