Mrs.Lucysnow
Valued Senior Member
What right do nations have to interfere in the internal social, cultural, political and judicial policies of another sovereign state?
The present political climate is one of interference lead by a sense of moral entitlement mostly by Western nations through the U.N
The U.N’s Declaration on Human Rights asserts in its pre-amble the advancement of said principles:
“...recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
Signed by 48 member states in 1948 the declaration is not legally binding and it is not a treaty, rather it is the promotion of standards assumed to be universally accepted. With the best intentions these standards have been outlined but still these very principles have been manipulated by various countries to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries for their own political ends under the guise of human rights. Military aggression, moral and unethical economic blockades, causing isolation, hunger and malnutrition of innocent people, have all been carried out in the name of human rights. Nations band together to block resolutions in the name of political interests and solidarity so there is no real consensus only power- broking.
Charters and resolutions by the U.N often go ignored and its difficult to force change on any particular nation short of military intervention and embargoes which often fail. I would go as far to say that the declaration has failed to reach its goals because it is unrealistic as long as there are autonomous nations representing differing attitudes at different times.
We can agree not to trade with another country, we can agree not to dialogue with another country but what right do we have to force seemingly liberal western standards on all nations worldwide regardless of culture, history, social readiness, religious and cultural restraints and taboos? The U.N harps on human rights regardless of whether any particular nation honors the U.N declaration or not so why not allow for the self-determination and grass-roots struggle to run its course as an alternative to present methods? Nations change internal policy mostly based on internal pressure.
Justice is not doled out equally among nations*, the U.N security council is only made up of five member states with other countries to rotate every two years. The international community is unable to stop any country from human rights abuses save condemnation which is often ignored. If we believe in the autonomous state then there is no right at attempts to force change. If we no longer believe in sovereignty then what is the alternative?
Since the charter states this:
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
It would seem that this charter is an attempt to override sovereignty.
*For example the U.S by the declaration’s guidelines has been recently guilty during the Bush years of article 5 also 9/10/11/12 due to the patriot act and the U.N did nothing.
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Countries that signed the declaration in '48:
Afghanitsan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Burma, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, India, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxumbourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Phillipines, Siam, Sweden, Syria, Turkey,United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The following eight member states abstained: Byolurussia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, South Africa, the USSR, and Yugoslavia.
The present political climate is one of interference lead by a sense of moral entitlement mostly by Western nations through the U.N
The U.N’s Declaration on Human Rights asserts in its pre-amble the advancement of said principles:
“...recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
Signed by 48 member states in 1948 the declaration is not legally binding and it is not a treaty, rather it is the promotion of standards assumed to be universally accepted. With the best intentions these standards have been outlined but still these very principles have been manipulated by various countries to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries for their own political ends under the guise of human rights. Military aggression, moral and unethical economic blockades, causing isolation, hunger and malnutrition of innocent people, have all been carried out in the name of human rights. Nations band together to block resolutions in the name of political interests and solidarity so there is no real consensus only power- broking.
Charters and resolutions by the U.N often go ignored and its difficult to force change on any particular nation short of military intervention and embargoes which often fail. I would go as far to say that the declaration has failed to reach its goals because it is unrealistic as long as there are autonomous nations representing differing attitudes at different times.
We can agree not to trade with another country, we can agree not to dialogue with another country but what right do we have to force seemingly liberal western standards on all nations worldwide regardless of culture, history, social readiness, religious and cultural restraints and taboos? The U.N harps on human rights regardless of whether any particular nation honors the U.N declaration or not so why not allow for the self-determination and grass-roots struggle to run its course as an alternative to present methods? Nations change internal policy mostly based on internal pressure.
Justice is not doled out equally among nations*, the U.N security council is only made up of five member states with other countries to rotate every two years. The international community is unable to stop any country from human rights abuses save condemnation which is often ignored. If we believe in the autonomous state then there is no right at attempts to force change. If we no longer believe in sovereignty then what is the alternative?
Since the charter states this:
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
It would seem that this charter is an attempt to override sovereignty.
*For example the U.S by the declaration’s guidelines has been recently guilty during the Bush years of article 5 also 9/10/11/12 due to the patriot act and the U.N did nothing.
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Countries that signed the declaration in '48:
Afghanitsan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Burma, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, India, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxumbourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Phillipines, Siam, Sweden, Syria, Turkey,United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
The following eight member states abstained: Byolurussia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, South Africa, the USSR, and Yugoslavia.
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