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Does the West still value human rights in light of its dismissal of Khashoggi's death? Does the West still value human rights in light of its dismissal of Khashoggi's death?
Yes, the universal norm of human rights still holds strong in the West Yes, the universal norm of human rights still holds strong in the West
Yes, despite that Western countries and non-Western countries perceive human rights differently Yes, despite that Western countries and non-Western countries perceive human rights differently
Hard to say, because promoting human rights globally is complicated Hard to say, because promoting human rights globally is complicated
Not exactly, Western governments' positions on honouring human rights are selective Not exactly, Western governments' positions on honouring human rights are selective
No. Western governments are hypocrites on so-called belief in human rights No. Western governments are hypocrites on so-called belief in human rights
World powers unite with western countries to support global human rights World powers unite with western countries to support global human rights
Western countries have organizations that help countries that need help Western countries have organizations that help countries that need help
Countries set different goals for human rights Countries set different goals for human rights
Human rights are expressive of Western norms Human rights are expressive of Western norms
Denial of human rights obligations is difficult to punish Denial of human rights obligations is difficult to punish
The importance of civil vs cultural rights is debated The importance of civil vs cultural rights is debated
The West can't interfere in others' domestic affairs The West can't interfere in others' domestic affairs
The West compromises human rights in other countries for economic gains The West compromises human rights in other countries for economic gains
The West is threatened by economic growth in developing countries The West is threatened by economic growth in developing countries
Human rights norms were formed by the West Human rights norms were formed by the West
The west overlooks human rights for financial agreements The west overlooks human rights for financial agreements
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Does the West still value human rights in light of its dismissal of Khashoggi's death?
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Not exactly, Western governments' positions on honouring human rights are selective

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Human rights norms were formed by the West

Western nations have imposed liberal, democratic norms on other countries since their rise after World War II. These norms change as Western ideals change and other nations are expected to abide by them or face consequences.
Abdullahi Ahmed An-N'aim Dominic Pettman
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The Argument

Modern international human rights originated from the West and evolved with the changes in Western cultures. The United States' dismissal of Khashoggi's case resembles the restriction of human rights to only the Western definition. Western governments' decisions on when to intervene are selective based on their judgment of which events require intervention.[1] Due to the selectivity in intervention and restriction to Western interpretations of human rights, the United States does not exactly value human rights in light of its dismissal to Khashoggi's death. Modern international human rights exclude non-Western cultures like Eastern societies and indigenous groups, as these cultures do not participate in the discussion on human rights. For example, modern human rights emphasize individuality. Individuality is not a universal value in all cultures. Emphasizing only western values in international human rights potentially isolates and disengages cultures that do not subscribe to the same values. The discussion on the evolution of human rights became non-democratic and is dictated solely by the West. The United States's dismissal of the Khashoggi's case may seem logical to the United States while other parts of the world may see it as the U.S. dismissing its promise to civil rights.[2]

Counter arguments

The dominance of Western values in determining international human rights is healthy. Ignoring Khashoggi's death, which occurred on Western judgment, does not make the United States dismissive of human rights. Many values currently common in the East, like the difference in gender roles, contradict innate human rights that should be common sense. Following Western values when making decisions like intervention does not contradict human rights but enforces them. The United States still values human rights in light of its dismissal to Khashoggi's death.[2]

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References

  1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13642989708406666
  2. https://www.e-ir.info/2014/04/25/western-human-rights-in-a-diverse-world-cultural-suppression-or-relativism/#:~:text=The%20Western%20cultural%20construct%20of,the%20rights%20of%20their%20members.
This page was last edited on Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 04:30 UTC

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