Human Rights in Asian Societies & NGOs

Writing in the international relations journal Foreign Policy, Bilahari Kausikan (1993, pp. 2441) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore and Aryeh Neier (1993, pp. 4241), executive director of the Westernbased Human Rights Watch organization, addressed the issue of the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in pressing for greater human rights in contemporary Asian societies. The two reached quite different conclusions on the issue. The issue addressed by Kausikan and Neier is examined in this research, and the positions of the two are critiqued.

The role of NGOs is a contemporary and important issue in international relations, regardless of whether human rights is the focus of an NGO. Similarly, the human rights issue would be significant in contemporary international relations in the absence of an interest on the part of NGOs. Thus, the underlying positions of Kausikan and Neier on human rights must be addressed in order to effectively critique their arguments concerning the role of NGOs in pressing for human rights reforms in contemporary Asian societies. An effective critique of the issue also requires and understanding of NGOs and their status in the conduct of international relations.

International relations is most often thought in terms of relations among nations. The concepts of nationality and sovereignty, therefore, come into play in this c

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contrast, holds that the Universal Declaration represents a consensus that is quite narrow in scope that includes opposition to genocide, murder, torture, and slavery. This narrow consensus, however, does not extend to capital punishment, detention without trial, and some curbs on press freedom (Kausikan, 1993, pp. 2441). In fact, according to Kausikan (1993, pp. 2441) the majority of the population in many Asian societies approve of such actions because they value order and good government more so than the Western ethos of individualism. Neier (1993, pp. 4251) rejects this argument, pointing to the capitalist barons of Hong Kong as examples of individualists in Asian societies. Neier's arguments are somewhat shallow and appear to reject the concept that differing societal values may be equally valid. The World Bank defines non governmental organizations as (1) noncommercial institutions, (2) that are private entities (not associated with any national government), (3) nonprofit, (4) that work with developing countries to alleviate suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, participate in community development, and provide basic community services. The focus of the World Bank is far too narrow
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Approximate Word count = 1451
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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