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  • ?Version=Chinese Newsart for 危急中的阿拉伯基督徒

    危急中的阿拉伯基督徒

    布鲁塞尔—最近，叙利亚东正教大主教伊布拉西姆（Yohanna Ibrahim）和希腊东正教大主教雅兹吉（Paul Yazigi）遭遇绑架，这不仅反映出叙利亚内战残酷程度的日益上升，也表明阿拉伯世界的基督徒危机正在升级，最终可能将他们完全驱逐出该地区。根据国际人权协会（Intern…

  • ?Version=Chinese Newsart for 少一点混帐规定

    少一点混帐规定

    巴黎——“如果法律做出这种假设”，《雾都孤儿》中的班布尔先生说，“那法律就是混蛋、白痴。”几十年来，英国的反诽谤法辜负了班布尔先生的期望。但今年四月议会通过立法修改反诽谤法推动世界言论自由有了长足的进步，而此举也在一定程度上恢复了英国人通情达理的名声。之前，即便原告或涉嫌诽谤者和…

  • ?Version=Chinese Newsart for 缅甸的民族炸药桶

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    缅甸的民族炸药桶

    布拉格—缅甸在二十年军事独裁历史后举行的首次普选已经过去两年了。人们欢迎民选，认为它是缅甸从军政走向文治的重要一步，而缅甸经济在总统登盛的文职政府领导下也取得了令人瞩目的成就。但是，如果缅甸不能解决其长期存在的民族冲突，则所有的进步都可能化为黄粱一梦。缅甸政府与其少数民族之间的关…

  • ?Version=Chinese Newsart for 印度的歧视数据

    印度的歧视数据

    新德里—去年12月新德里23岁女性惨遭轮奸致死的案件在印度引发了前所未有的公众抗议。数万公民走上街头，要求结束警察对妇女安全的漠视、强化法律、加速针对女性的犯罪案件的审理。游行触发了一场全国性运动，媒体轮番报道妇女问题。那么，这是否引来了重大变化？强奸案发生八天内就组成了由前最高…

  • ?Version=Chinese Newsart for 囹圄中的土耳其言论自由

    囹圄中的土耳其言论自由

    巴黎—据两份土耳其亲政府报纸《星报》（Star）和《新瓦基特报》（Yeni Akit）报道及土耳其总理埃尔多安本人的说法，谴责土耳其言论自由状况者属于“恐怖分子”。他们在上周用这个词所指的是纽约的保护记者委员会（Committee to Protect Journalists，C…

  • ?Version=Chinese Newsart for 希望的度量

    希望的度量

    西雅图—过去十五年来，世界最穷人群的生活的改善比以往任何时候都要快，但我乐观地认为，未来十五年会变得更好。毕竟，人类知识在进步。这具体表现在HIV药物等药品的研发和成本下降，以及让贫穷农民收获更多产量的新种子的创造上。一旦这样的新工具被发明出来，就不会倒退回去——只可能进步，不可…

  • ?Version=Chinese Newsart for 结束针对妇女的战争

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    结束针对妇女的战争

    雅典—情人节，无数情侣会在烛光中度过浪漫时光。这一天，全世界10亿男女会让性别关系的阴暗面表露无遗。据联合国的数据，全世界三分之一的妇女一生中一定会遭受强暴或殴打。在一些国家，七成妇女会遭到殴打、强暴、虐待或致残。通常，这些暴行的受害者被视为罪犯——被侮辱，被虐待，被排斥，被关押…

  • Newsart for Robbing the Roma

    Robbing the Roma

    BUDAPEST – A year and a half has passed since the European Commission adopted the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up t…

  • Newsart for Let the Blind Read

    Let the Blind Read

    TORONTO – This is a decisive moment for sight-impaired people like me: men and women who are seeking to expand our minds and to contribute t…

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The Human Rights Revolution

Has the Iraq war fatally undermined the concept of "humanitarian intervention" aimed at stopping human rights abuses? Have the trials of Slobodan Milosevic and Charles Taylor discredited international criminal tribunals? Is universal jurisdiction legal?

For decades after WWII, human rights laws appeared moribund. They embodied the goals of civilized peoples, yet their provisions often seemed to enshrine unattainable aspirations that many governments ignored outright.

All that changed with the Cold War’s end. Thousands of organizations now document abuses, proselytize for change, deliver aid, and arouse public opinion. Amnesty International has more than a million members in 65 countries. Even China accepts that its human rights record can no longer be treated as taboo in international discussions.

Universal ideals of human rights increasingly guide, or are at least used to justify, the policies – including the military policies – of major powers. But what does this revolution mean for individuals and states? In a world of shrinking sovereignty, will aspirations for universal human rights lead to greater human dignity, or will they replicate the religious disputes of past ages, ending in clashes between competing visions of truth?

Project Syndicate’s monthly series The Human Rights Revolution gets to the heart of the issues with contributions from some of the world’s most distinguished statesmen and academics.

Contributors have included former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former French justice minister Robert Badinter, former Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, noted critic David Rieff, and South Africa’s Bishop Desmond Tutu.

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