The importance of basic human rights.

http://www.thecommonwealth.org/subhomepage/39419/

Human Rights:

universal rights held to belong to individuals by virtue of their being human,

encompassing civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights and freedoms,

and based on the notion of personal human dignity and worth.
(http://www.reference.com/search?q=human%20rights )


When determining what I felt to be the most important issue in world politics, I first took a look at the topic of world politics as a whole. How all of the issues weave in and out of one another, where they connect, what their roots are, what part each of them plays in the “bigger picture”. The conclusion I came to was simple: all issues in world politics can be traced back to human rights.

Turn on the television or log onto the internet and you can instantly view the latest information on current “hot-button” political issues such as the war in Iraq, global warming, terrorism, human trafficking, global poverty, and the genocide in Sudan, among others. Resolving these conflicts would require us to delve deeper into the question of human rights; basic respect for the dignity of our fellow man. Any conflict in world politics today can find its roots in human rights in some way shape or form. It all comes down to what we, as human beings deserve (or think we deserve), and whether or not we are willing to set aside our own personal pride as individuals and as nations in order to make these rights available to all of our fellow human beings.

Some of the previously listed examples obviously lend themselves to the issue of human rights, others are slightly more complex. Global warming, for example, can be looped around to simply having enough respect for our future generations to leave a clean world for them to live in. Terrorism stems from an inability to accept the ideas, culture, and religions of other men (regardless of which side initiates this narrow-minded behavior). The war in Iraq becomes one big question of whether or not we are obligated to help the Iraqi people, if the even want our help, and if either of these questions has even the slightest bearing on why we’re there in the first place.

In a perfect world every man would have respect for ever other man, every human would have all of the rights that they so deserve, and our world would be in peace because of it.
Unfortunately, as long as the denial of basic human rights is running ramped in our world these dreams cannot become reality.

Sovereignty

I believe that the greatest issue in world politics relates to the concept of national sovereignty. It is a generally accepted concept in the field of international relations that each nation has a right to control its own internal affairs as well as to wage its own agenda of foreign policy. According to The Penguin Dictionary of International Relations by Graham Evans and Jeffrey Newnham (pg. 504), nations have “a supreme decision-making and enforcement authority with regard to a particular territory and population.” This implies that the boundaries of a nation’s rule are fluid, extending over a particular geographic region and a demographic population, which do not always coincide with each other particularly in this age of rapid globalization when people can easily travel throughout the world.

Furthermore the implication that a nation has the right to do with its own citizens as it pleases directly undermines the effectiveness of international law and international organizations such as the UN. As for international law the notion of sovereignty undermines the international legal system’s ability to function properly because a nation can claim that it has the right to try its own citizens and that the international community as no place while giving notorious criminals who commit international atrocities a free pass. Also according to The Penguin Dictionary of International Relations, sovereignty contains a nation’s right to participate as a legitimate member of the international community. Therefore a nation has the right to participate in the international community but also to do whatever it wants that fulfills its own policy objectives. Subsequently we have grave hypocrisy in the international community in which leaders stand in front of the UN and rail against violations of human rights in other countries while denying the existence of such violations in their own country. The recent debate over the reorganization of the UN Human Rights Council directly relates to this topic. Some people insisted that nations like China which atrocious records in human rights should not be allowed to assist in making policy related to human rights. Others asserted that China has a right to participate in such negotiations and that in fact with China present the international community could more effectively convince China to ameliorate its human rights problems.

Furthermore, the situation in which the foreign policy aims and even domestic aims of one nation conflict with those of another nation causes the majority if not all conflict in the international community. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait he could claim that it was in an effort to enhance the policy interests of his nation and yet it inherently violated the national sovereignty of Kuwait. Subsequently the United States intervened because it saw the expanding power of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq as a threat to its national interests particularly its oil interests while claiming that it was protecting the interest of the Kuwaitis. This could also be said to be an invasion of the Kuwaiti national sovereignty though Kuwait seemed to prefer the protection of the United States to that of Iraq. Therefore are all parties involved right? Do they all have the right to invade another country if it serves their interest and what if that inherent right interferes with the right of another nation to national sovereignty? Furthermore does the United States have the right to use its military against a national government that is oppressing its own people such as Iraq, Rwanda, or Darfur? Can the rights of an ethnic group being oppress supersede the right of the national government to enact the policies that it sees fit? These are the issues that national leaders, policymakers, and the international community at large struggle to reconcile with their logic and morality as well as their aspirations and the aspirations of their countrymen each and every day.

Many of my thoughts came after I examined the definition of "sovereignty" as defined by The Penguin Dictionary of International Relations b y Graham Evans and Jeffrey Newnham (pg. 504).

Erica Peterson

Communication in an Interdependent World

One of the most important issues in world politics today is the interdependence countries have with each other. As Greg noted the consequences of dependence between different countries, it becomes increasingly evident that ill effects become imminent as ulterior agendas motivate drastic action, such as war, between countries. Therefore, the most important way to combat detrimental, drastic action that might be made in an effort to secure internal necessities is for communication between countries to become the most essential and efficient method of policy making.

Because states and their governments, governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, and corporations are socially and economically dependent on one another, it is most important to have political relationships clearly established to benefit all parties involved. The goal of word politics is to keep open communication with other nations, organizations, and corporations so that we understand one another on issues such as religion, culture, social structure, legal matters, and economics, as well. Misunderstanding of religious and cultural beliefs, in the case of the Middle East, leads to holy wars, which send the world into turmoil. This example shows that any miscommunication may add enough fuel to sustain a fire of world turmoil. Through world politics, following certain tactics and methods (policy), people in power or authority positions make decisions that impact others both individually and as a group. For this reason, any action instigated by one country immediately affects party after party in the process, creating more trouble if made in the midst of miscommunication. The common denominator of Democracy has to be a strong understanding and appreciation of a country's history. This is particularly true while molding the future of underdeveloped Societies. We need respect, patience and a value system in sync with their past and changing environment.

While it is unrealistic to expect countries to “put all the cards on the table” and reveal all their plans for development, both positive and negative, the quality of communication and consideration for all parties involved is one element that cannot be ignored regardless of how futile the efforts might sometimes seem.

Black Gold

The most important issue in current world politics is the battle over the industrialized world’s greatest need: oil. Throughout history, wars have been fought over territory, religion, and honor, but in today’s interconnected and industrialized world, many conflicts revolve around oil, such as in the Middle East and the Niger Delta. Major powers have developed national infrastructure and economies that depend on resources such as oil coming from foreign, and often unstable, geographical locations. The People’s Republic of China is supporting Sudan’s genocide because they need Sudanese oil; the United States is embroiled in the Middle East because our country relies on the Middle East’s great petroleum reserves. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union vied for control of oil in the Middle East. Today, the Russian Federation and the United States still play this game; the United States goes on a foray in Iraq and the Russian Federation supplies Iran with nuclear reactor technology and high-tech weapons systems. When great powers become embroiled in these oil-based conflicts, simmering regional feuds are set aflame.

-Gregory Proulx

“When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” – African proverb