In Geneva, diplomats are used to excuses. But on November 7th, the United States delivered something new: silence.

It simply failed to appear for its scheduled Universal Periodic Review; the United Nations’ four-yearly check of each member state’s human rights record.

Since the system began in 2006, no country has ever refused to show up.

The Human Rights Council has now postponed America’s turn until 2026 and hinted at possible censure if the boycott continues.

Rights advocates say the no-show speaks volumes.

More than a hundred organizations had filed submissions on domestic human rights violations and abuses.

They accuse the Trump administration of treating international law as optional, citing ICE raids, the use of force against protesters, and even military actions abroad dressed up as “counter-narcotics” operations.

The Universal Periodic Review was meant to embody the idea that all states, powerful or weak, face the same scrutiny.

America’s absence undermines that principle.

Officials did not explain, but the gesture fits a broader pattern of detachment from multilateral forums and treaties.

For critics, it suggests a belief that the rules apply to others.

Diplomats in Geneva worry that this will set a precedent.

“If Washington won’t turn up, why should anyone else?” asked one European envoy.

The symbolism matters: a country that once helped shape the human rights system now seems unwilling to sit for its own exam.

The Council can delay the review, but the reputational damage for America and the system itself will be harder to avoid. It’ll be harder to defer.