The U.S. official hoping for a “ripple effect” is Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Prior to joining the State Department, Posner was the Executive Director and then President of Human Rights First. Among Human Rights First’s donors are such notable human rights advocates as George Soros and Lockheed Martin. On its national council in 2007 was Abner Mikva, one of President Obama’s earliest pro-Israel mentors.
