Ram accused of double standard on US forced labour policy

Jul 28, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

Christopher Ram’s letter, published in your editor of 26th July, 2026, is a remarkable exercise in selective indignation. It accepts, almost without question, the moral authority of the United States to lecture other countries about not enforcing prohibitions on goods produced with forced labour while ignoring the uncomfortable historical reality that America and Europe themselves accumulated enormous wealth through systems of forced labour and slavery.

The industrial and commercial power of the Western world was built on the labour of enslaved Africans. Nor did labour exploitation disappear after abolition. The post-1945 global economy was shaped by multinational corporations sourcing production from countries with cheaper labour and weaker regulatory systems. Many of the same global supply chains that delivered inexpensive goods to Western consumers have long faced criticism for low wages, poor working conditions and inadequate worker protections. There is therefore a deep irony in Washington positioning itself as the global enforcer of standards on forced labour.

The modern American laws are not simply neutral instruments of morality; they are also tools of trade policy and geopolitical influence. Like all countries, the United States uses economic regulations to advance its national interests.

This is the context missing from Mr. Ram’s argument. He presents American trade measures almost as an objective judgment handed down by an impartial authority. Yet trade policy has always been selective and political. The question is not whether forced labour should be prohibited, it absolutely should but whether one country should be accepted as the unquestioned moral referee of the entire world.

The greatest weakness in Mr. Ram’s analysis is his failure to apply the same scrutiny to Washington that he applies to Georgetown. Those who claim to challenge power should question all centres of power, not simply their own government. The United States has every right to establish standards for goods entering its market, but others have an equal right to examine the history, motives and consistency behind those standards.

Yours sincerely,

Roopnauth Hardyal

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Christopher Ram, double standard, Letters, Roopnauth Hardyal, US forced labour policy

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