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Human Rights Activism

America is the most powerful nation in the world, and by all standards, the most democratic. There are many nations- mostly in what we call "The Third World" where democracy is non-existent and where human rights are violated daily. Knowing this, the major question to be debated is: Do we have a right- morally, politically, even economically, to interfere in the internal affairs of another country? In fact, there are disputes about the meaning of human rights. "Elie Wiesel has called (it) a 'world-wide secular religion' (Ignatieff 2001 53). The author disagrees with this, implying that under this definition it becomes merely "humanism worshiping itself (53). In other words, what we need to establish is whether even the idea of human rights activism is self-serving or whether it really does sufficient good to merit the outlay of money. To justify our activism, we need to start with human rights law, and how it has expanded since World War II.

After the establishment of the United Nations, one of its most important initial documents was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) which clearly stated that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights". It is obvious that there are many nations in the world, even as UN members, where this is not true. One can certainly think of China, not to mention many other Asian and African nations, often under the thumb of a particularly authoritarian regime. One can think not only of native populations in Central and South America (Chiapas and Guatemala) but women, (Thailand and Myanmar) and members of political parties seen as enemies of the state (Chile).

It is important to align human rights activism not merely with its intended purpose (is it truly moral, or is it political?), but how various legal ramifications have affected human rights activists and their financial support.

To determine whether human rights activism makes a difference in the...

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Human Rights Activism. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 05:39, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1695250.html