The Debasement of Human Rights - How Politics Sabotage the Ideal of Freedom

Aaron Rhodes

Summary

The idea of human rights began as a call for individual freedom from tyranny, yet today it is exploited to rationalize oppression and promote collectivism. How did this happen? Aaron Rhodes, recognized as “one of the leading human rights activists in the world” by the University of Chicago, reveals how an emancipatory ideal became so debased.
Rhodes identifies the fundamental flaw in the Universal Declaration of Human of Rights, the basis for many international treaties and institutions. It mixes freedom rights rooted in natural law—authentic human rights—with “economic and social rights,” or claims to material support from governments, which are intrinsically political. As a result, the idea of human rights has lost its essential meaning and moral power.
The principles of natural rights, first articulated in antiquity, were compromised in a process of accommodation with the Soviet Union after World War II, and under the influence of progressivism in Western democracies. Geopolitical and ideological forces ripped the concept of human rights from its foundations, opening it up to abuse. Dissidents behind the Iron Curtain saw clearly the difference between freedom rights and state-granted entitlements, but the collapse of the USSR allowed demands for an expanding array of economic and social rights to gain legitimacy without the totalitarian stigma.
The international community and civil society groups now see human rights as being defined by legislation, not by transcendent principles. Freedoms are traded off for the promise of economic benefits, and the notion of collective rights is used to justify restrictions on basic liberties.
We all have a stake in human rights, and few serious observers would deny that the concept has lost clarity. But no one before has provided such a comprehensive analysis of the problem as Rhodes does here, joining philosophy and history with insights from his own extensive work in the field.

Available since: 04/17/2018.

Other books that might interest you

Nonprofits in Crisis - Economic...

Nuno S. Themudo

Why do some countries have a vibrant nonprofit sector while others do not? Nonprofits in Crisis explores the theory of risk as a major mechanism through which economic development influences the nonprofit sector. Nuno S. Themudo elaborates this idea by focusing on Mexican nonprofit organizations, which operate and strive to survive in a risky environment. The study of these nonprofits generates broader lessons about philanthropy and the nonprofit sector that complement wider cross-national statistical analysis.

Show book

Liberalism and the Social Problem

Winston S. Churchill

This collection of speeches from 1906 to 1909 documents Churchill’s early years as a Member of the Liberal Party in the House of Commons.   Sir Winston Churchill is admired as a brilliant Conservative politician and statesman—but he wasn't always a Conservative. In 1904, he crossed over to join the Liberal party, becoming Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies and later joining the Liberal Cabinet. This collection of his speeches reveals Churchill's dramatic shift toward a more progressive governing philosophy.    Here, the young MP’s fervently argues his positions on some of the most important issues of the time, including the "People's Budget," a highly controversial new wealth distribution initiative. The resulting conflict between the House of Lords and the House of Commons led to the passage of the Parliament Act of 1911, asserting the House of Commons' legislative powers. This compilation of speeches is both an enlightening historical document and a fascinating display of the future Prime Minister’s political insights and oratory skill.

Show book

The Next Century

David Halberstam

The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist delivers “[a] sobering account of the struggle for world economic supremacy” in this New York Times bestseller (Library Journal).  What can we learn from the events of twentieth century? With the effects of the Cold War still evident in the global economy and the lives of everyday Americans, master journalist and historian David Halberstam sets out to answer this question. Halberstam’s perceptive The Next Century looks to the future by examining the past. From the rise of the Japanese economy to the startling changes that reshaped the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Halberstam argues that the American economy’s survival depends on the rededication and continued education of the American worker. As pertinent in today’s economy as it was when first published in 1991, The Next Century is a timeless call to arms, reminding us that we must continually better ourselves in order to compete on the world stage. This ebook features an extended biography of David Halberstam.

Show book

Oil power and a sign of hope -...

Klaus Stieglitz, Sabine Pamperrien

"Mercedes AMG Petronas F1-Team"is the official name of the team that has been operated in the Formula 1 competition since the 2010 season by Germany's Daimler AG, one of the world's leading manufacturers of automobiles. The "Petronas" forming part of the racing team's name is also emblazoned on its legendary Silver Arrow cars. Owned by the Malaysian government, Petronas is a multinational petroleum giant. It, in turn, is also the main owner of companies that have been producing oil for many years in South Sudan, which is the one of the poorest countries in the world. These methods of production have caused an environmental catastrophe. It has seriously damaged the health and livelihoods of the people living there. That the world knows about this catastrophe is the result of nine years of the dogged, often dangerous work undertaken by"Sign of Hope", the German NGO, which launched.

"Oil, power and Sign of Hope" documents the struggle to get the parties responsible at the oil companies and at their partners of sponsorship to adhere to internationally-applicable standards ― and, by doing such, to enable 180,000 people to exercise their human right to clean water. Another thrust of Sign of Hope's endeavors is the preservation of one of the world's largest wetlands and of its unique biodiversity: There are ways and means of pushing the buttons of the managers responsible for making decisions at entities that are engaged in polluting the environment. These buttons just have to be really strongly pushed.

Show book

Victorious Insurgencies - Four...

Anthony James Joes

The author of Resisting Rebellion examines four of the twentieth century’s most consequential rebellions—in China, Cuba, Afghanistan, and French Indochina. While insurgencies continue to erupt across the globe, most of them fail to meet their intended aims. But in Four Rebellions that Shaped Our World, Anthony James Joes analyzes four successful rebellions which permanently altered the global political arena: the Maoists in China against Chiang Kai-shek and the Japanese in the 1930s and 1940s; the Viet Minh in French Indochina from 1945 to 1954; Castro's followers against Batista in Cuba from 1956 to 1959; and the mujahideen in Soviet Afghanistan from 1980 to 1989. Joes illuminates patterns of failed counterinsurgencies, highlighting their avoidable political and military blunders as well as the critical influence of the international setting. Offering provocative insights that are applicable to twenty-first century geopolitics, this comprehensive study will be of great interest to policy-makers and concerned citizens alike.

Show book

SUMMARY Of Too Much and Never...

Thomas Wade

Summary Of Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump Ph.D
About the Original Book
In the book “Too Much and Never Enough” by Mary Trump, Mary a trained clinical psychologist and Donald’s only niece, tries to take us through the dark history of their family in order to explain how her uncle (Donald Trump) became the man who now threatens the world’s health, economic security, and social fabric.
Mary Trump while still a child, spent much of her childhood in her grandparents’ large, imposing house in the heart of Queens, New York. Where Donald and his four siblings grew up.
In the book, she describes a nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse. Coupled with specific events and general family patterns which created the damaged man who currently occupies the Oval Office.
About this Summary
This summary guide is proudly brought to you by Thomas Wade. It contains a comprehensive, well detailed summary and key takeaways of the original book by Mary Trump. It summarizes the book in detail, to help enhance your reading experience, give you deeper insight, fresher perspectives, and also, help you Obtain Ultimate Comprehension of the original book.
DISCLAIMER: This is an independent and unofficial summary guide written and published by Thomas Wade, who is in no way affiliated with the original author. This book is not meant to replace the original book but to serve as a companion to it.

Show book