PS 114 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Cultural Relativism, Female Genital Mutilation, Kantian Ethics

• School: Oakland University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: PS 114
• Professor: Trumbore

Document Summary

Only became an issue in ir after wwii. One of the un"s first major moves. Competing norm of state sovereignty an enduring challenge to human rights. Cold war delayed progress on further development of international human rights project. Us and soviets championed different sets of rights. Contemporary international consensus based on the universal declaration model of human rights. Virtually all states have signed on to the central international human rights agreements. The so-called international bill of human rights . Gw bush made hr promotion a foreign policy priority. Us criticized for emphasizing individual rights/liberal freedoms. Individuals valued for themselves, not as members of groups or classes. Authority and power of government should be restrained to protect individual liberties and freedoms. Key issue - american approach often at odds with that of other states. Rights that individuals have simply because they are human. Emphasis on political, civil, and economic property. Material and economic rights that apply society-wide.