INR Week 6 discussion
Pe0512
Week6MinimalismAnnanSpring2021.pptxWeek 6: Minimalism and annan’s failures?
human rights protection inr 4075
Human Development Index
”The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone.”
1.) Health Life Expectancy at Birth 2.) Education 25 years and beyond 3.) Standard of Living as measured by GNI.
Cohen Minimalism
“ Justificatory minimalism aims to avoid imposing unnecessary hurdles on accepting an account of human rights, by intolerantly tying its formulation to a particular ethical tradition.”
His conception of Human Rights
Ethical Traditions Explored
Confucianism
Islam
Three conditions
Place violators of international HR standards, on the international agenda
Empower domestic opposition groups
Create a transnational pressuring of groups.
Key Questions driving their work to think about:
Do Human Rights Abuses end because perpetrators are persuaded they are wrong?
Do they care because Leaders care about their international image.
Do they believe they are to be held accountable?
Kofi Annan
8 April 1938-18 August 2018
Ghanian Diplomat
Seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations
January 1997 to December 2006
Why did Annan Fail?
Failed to implement a cease fire between Bashar al-Assad and opposing forces.
Failure of Logistics
China, Russia & Iranian Challenge
Both the West and Arab States are to blame
Or was it just Assad’s?
The Human Rights Council
The new Human Rights Council has not lived up to its Mandate
Replaced the Commission on Human Rights w/the Human Rights Council
“Recent events in the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere once again demonstrate that we must have a credible, balanced, and preeminent global body to expose human rights abuses and take actions to alleviate them. ”
Do we have sufficient reasons for giving up on the council?
“It is true that conducting effective diplomacy and changing political dynamics is hard, but working to find agreement with countries that have disparate worldviews has always been a difficult endeavor. ”
Questions
By tying its formulation to particular ethical traditions, how does Justificatory minimalism suppose it will avoid unnecessary obstacles?
Why do Skeptics find the New Human Rights Mandate has not lived up to its “Mandate?’
In “Why did Annan Fail,” which of the explanations (you can chose more than one), contributed most to the lack of success in negotiating cease fire?
