INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: HUMAN RIGHTS IN ASIAN SOCIETIES AND THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL NGOS
Writing in the international relations journal Foreign Policy, Bilahari Kausikan (1993, pp. 24 41) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore and Aryeh Neier (1993, pp. 42 41), executive director of the Western based Human Rights Watch organization, addressed the issue of the role of non governmental 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 conventional perception of international relations. Although its acceptance is far from universal, and is actively resisted by almost all governments from time to time, a more modern concept of international relations recognizes the role of non governmental entities both individuals and organizations in the addressing of transnational issues. In fact, many internationally oriented NGOs are officially recognized by the United Nations through a special affil...