Basic human rights of all people should be protected according to people living in the Western civilization, but this is not the universal consensus. People in Asian countries put more of an emphasis on order and discipline. These values, it is believed, in the Asian culture, is more important culturally, and if that means that one’s human rights need to be sacrificed to uphold discipline and order that is the choice that should be made.
As the Asian culture is explored, and ancient philosophers are studied, it is the general conclusion when comparing many different philosophers, their philosophies, and the studies of different nations and religions, that blatant violations of human rights are not encouraged. In general, what is expected in the world system and in the worldwide arena of law is what has been preached for centuries in Asia as well. There is not as great a difference in thought as many national leaders, including leaders from Asian countries, have led others to believe during world-wide conferences. In general, the expectations are the same, with some slight regional differences .
The journal article relates to the trading human rights section of the course in that it is important to recognize and respect the differences that different countries and different cultures have when developing an international system of law. This does not mean that there cannot be an international code of law established to which all nations are expected to adhere too, especially one that deals with war crimes and crimes against humanity, but it is important to realize that different cultures have different priorities. It is also important that as an international system of law is developed and established that it is also enforced. A system of laws with no real enforcement is as good as no legal system at all .
Works Cited
Sen, Amartya. "Universal Truths: Human Rights and the Westernizing Illusion." Harvard International Review (1998): 40-43. Web.
Snyder, Mingst and. Essential Readings in World Politics. 4th ed. W. W. Norton and Company, n.d. Print.
