China, Russia, and the Abuse of Interpol

The U.S. Must Challenge Autocratic Regimes at the Beijing Interpol Meeting, Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4766, September 21, 2017. "The autocracies of the world have learned that Interpol, the international organization of police and law enforcement organizations, can be a valuable instrument of oppression. The United States, and the rest of the world’s democracies, have failed to respond effectively to this challenge. The 86th annual meeting of the Interpol General Assembly will take place from September 26 to 29 in Beijing. Interpol has in recent years been heavily criticized for failing to ensure that—as its constitution requires—it focuses exclusively on ordinary crime, and does not become an instrument of political oppression in the hands of autocratic regimes. The U.S. has so far failed to devise an effective strategy to resist, and roll back, the politicization of Interpol. The Trump Administration should take the opportunity of the General Assembly meeting to develop and implement such a strategy. If it does not, Interpol, which is heavily used by U.S. law enforcement, will continue to lose credibility in ways that will damage both it and the interests of the U.S."