Jan 12 case studies

Case Study p.163 Libya and humanitarian intervention:

The Arab Spring were many protests across the Arab world in early 2010s.

With military force being used to crackdown in Libya, the UN Security Council authorized humanitarian intervention.

NATO-led alliance conducted air striked leading to the toppling of Libyan government. States expressed concern if all the proper safeguards were in place. NATO supplied rebel groups with weaponry

Some argue there were effectively 2 interventions - a legal one to avert a massacre of citizens, and another aiming to change the regime.

This gives the perception that it was a way for Western powers to control Libyan oil.

the international involvement led to prolonged conflict & further crisis

  • stockpiles of weapons
  • many attempts to seize power after a power vacuum (Gaddafi was in power for 42 years)

The UN Support Mission in Libya describes it as a failed state (as of 2023: abductions, arbitrary arrests, etc.) Some argue Libya was already in crisis before the intervention

Case Study p.168 Collective indigenous rights:

Land and resources are linked to indigenous people's identities, cultures, and spiritual beliefs. Often have their own leadership system and maintain a distinct identity from wider society.

 

Review Questions:#

Make a table with acronyms

AcronymFull Name
UDHRUniversal Declaration of Human Rights
ICJInternational Court of Justice
ICCInternational Criminal Court
UNSMILUN Support Mission in Libya
R2PResponsibility to Protect
UNHRCUN Human Rights Council
UNHCRUN High Commissioner for Refugees
CSOCivil Society Organizations
CSRCorporate Social Responsibility
UPR

Universal Periodic Review:

“The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States”

IHLInternational Humanitarian Law
ASEANArab League and Association of Southeast Asian Nations

 

  • What are the arguments in support of using the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)
    What are some of the arguments against?
    • For:
      • It is meant to prevent mass violations of human rights
      • it links a state's sovereignty to responsibility
    • Against:
      • misuse in order to change regime
      • selective application based on an agenda of powerful states
      • undermining state sovereignty
  • Why do humanitarian stakeholders such as Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent always try to uphold principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence?
    • To gain access to vulnerable populations and impart effective aid
  • What does ‘politicization’ of rights and justice mean?
  • What are claims on individual and collective rights? Can you name a few real-world examples?

Exam suggestions - 173:#

General Advice

Definition of rights as basic claims and entitlements that, many argue, one should be able to exercise simply because they are a human being.

Can address contested rights and their origins, scope, and universality.

 

Claims:

Contested meanings can allow political actors to politicize differences

Many in global south see focus on individual rights as a Western construct, useful for Western domination

 

Counter-claims:

Many rights are broadly agreed upon, and therefore uncontested. (right to life)

Politicization of rights can also be driven by other factors like social, and economic inequality, and influence of interest groups

increased polarization meaning adherence to a set of rights helps identify boundaries – US Republicans subscribe to inviolability of gun rights

contested meanings of rights doesn't necessarily result in their politicization.

 

Other:

examiner is making sure you understand rights and how the contested meanings of rights can be used as a political tool by states and non-state actors

The political contestation of rights serves as a catalyst for change, to address gaps and injustices (marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights)

politicians / interest groups may exploit the contested nature to push their own agendas (Russia and Ukraine / Crimea)

Can argue that rights by nature are political.

Paper B Example - 175:

“The most significant cause of rights violations in global politics is structural violence.” Discuss this claim.

Define human rights, and structural violence

Claims:

  • structural violence leads to a great amount of violations with poverty stricken families relying on children's labor, resulting in denial of education, low wages, etc.
  • structural violence violates the right to development, infringing on political and civil rights. By perpetuating underdevelopment, it is a significant cause of violation.
  • structural violence in the form of unequal access to education, etc, disproportionate rates of incarceration, restricted voting rights. For instance, African Americans and Native Americans experience disproportionally higher rates of arrest in the US

Counterclaims:

  •  Direct violence is ore significant, as it is more immediately devastating. It pushes for global actors to address the effects. For instance, displacement of millions to Syrian civil war.
  • (?) Realists would argue agency - the choices to violate the rights are more significant
  • It may be easier to make legislative changes to correct structural violence (e.g. policing reforms) than address direct violence
  • what qualifies as a human rights violation may vary

The World Food Programme has noted that poverty and hunger often occur together, with hunger being the number one cause of death in the world (#1 health risk), more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined