Joel E. Oestreich. Thoughts on development, rights, the United Nations, and stuff like that.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Pretty interested in what will happen to the right to peace concept as it moves forward. Is this the ultimate in promising people a right to things they can't actually have? Is it like a "right to health," (which, I often point out, is not really what is being promised when people talk more about a right to health care). Rights are often aspirational, such as a right to education, which can't be immediately guaranteed in most places but should be worked towards. A "right to peace" might be put in that category. It might also be said to involve a host of other rights which can be achieved: democracy (based on the notion that democracies don't go to war with each other); bodily integrity; religious freedom; and so forth. If its a UN document, it also fits well with the UN's overall goal of promoting international peace; maybe its mostly a way to further sanctify other UN goals. On the other hand, it might become something of a laughing-stock, proof that the word "right" has been tossed around so much that its become unmoored from its intended meaning. I hope not, and it seems like it can be deployed in a way that keeps its importance while avoiding seeming like a joke of some sort.
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