Justice, Civil Liberties & Human Rights

Introduction

The rights to life and liberty, to freedom of expression and opinion, to participation in government and choice of employment, and to private property and general security in one's person—these are just some of the rights that people around the globe have come to recognize as human rights—those rights that all individuals have simply by virtue of their very humanity; rights that we expect all societies to guarantee to their citizens irrespective of a person's race, religion, gender, sexuality, or ethnicity; rights that we should have no matter where we live or who we are. Understood as universal and inalienable, human rights have come to represent a common standard, a set of international norms against which we measure the actions of governments and the practices of communities. They have come to function as the grounds on which we challenge particular policies and actions of states and the basis upon which we demand change or imagine a different, better future. With all that they do, with all that we expect from them, it is not surprising that human rights are cherished the world over.

And yet this was not always the case, nor is it the case that the promise of human rights has been fulfilled by any means. Not only has the language of human rights arrived on the international scene only fairly recently with the adoption by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, but also the unfortunate fact is that for many individuals and groups around the globe, the protection of human rights is virtually nonexistent. Whether the result of mistakes, good intentions gone badly, or greed and hatred, widespread human rights violations are reported on a daily basis. These include everything from limitations on speech and suffrage to unsafe working conditions; to discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, or sexual orientation; to lack of access to necessary medical treatment or police protection; and even to outright torture and genocide. And despite that there seems to be an international consensus that human rights should be protected, there is little consensus about how to make that happen.

Discussion and Analysis

Which specific rights should be protected, by whom, in what manner, and at what costs? Is freedom of speech something a state should value above concerns about social order and national security? Does allowing religious diversity contribute to or threaten social cohesion and stability? What if promoting a right to health care and a living wage requires policies that infringe on individual liberties? Or what if promoting and protecting cultural diversity reinforces practices that compromise women's equality? And what if protecting a human right requires one nation telling another what to do; perhaps even invading that country to see that it is done? Who decides what is to be valued, how it to be protected, how much liberty individuals should enjoy, and what duties a state has to its people? These are just some of the questions that current and emerging leaders, ...