The Political Problems of the New Debate on Human Rights

Extract

HUMAN RIGHTS HAVE RECENTLY ACQUIRED A NEW TOPICALITY. THERE are several reasons for this revival of public interest. One is the increasing ability of the ‘dissenters’ within the USSR and in the Soviet bloc to make their voices heard. At the same time black protest movements in Rhodesia and South Africa have achieved greater publicity for their claims. But another, more depressing reason for renewed attention to this to ic is the deterioration in the observation of human rights in a num er of third world countries, the most glaring example of which is Uganda. A third cause is the permanent consultation between East and West on the Helsinki ‘baskets’, notably on the basket dealing with human rights. Finally, a last and most important reason lies in the stancc taken by thc ncw President of the United States, who unlike hi3 predecessor, has explicitly stated that human rights are a matter of universal concern.