The World Today: August & September 2008: August/September 2008

The subject of human rights and China has become a highly politicised battlefield where fears provoked by the country’s increasing influence and strength are translated into arguments about the Chinese government’s treatment of its citizens. Beijing rightly trumpets economic transformation for its people, but where are the political rights?

A History of Political Trials: From Charles I to Saddam Hussein,by John Laughland (Peter Lang Oxford, 2008 £12.99)

Nowhere does the issue of human rights violations come up as frequently, in relation to religion, as in the case of Islam. This is partly because of its prominence in today’s political agenda, both with detractors and supporters, and the poor record of Islamic countries when it comes to respecting human rights. Those critical of Islam highlight its position on minorities, gender issues and physical punishments, as examples of its incompatibility with the promotion of human rights. However, the relationship between any religion and such rights can be problematic, since it involves negotiation between that which is secular and of human origin and that believed to be from divine or scriptural sources.

What must the next United States president do to reclaim Washington’s standing to promote human rights around the globe?Many aspects of President George Bush’s administration’s human rights policy have caused American moral authority to plummet, including its penchant for cosying-up to favoured dictators, equating democracy promotion with regime change, and undermining international standards such as the new treaty banning cluster munitions.But probably nothing has done more to tarnish Washington’s reputation in this area than the administration’s decision to combat terrorism without regard to US obligations under international human rights law.

With the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination finally settled, attention has turned to the unfolding contest between two candidates representing, as The Economist put it, ‘America at its best’. Senators Barack Obama and John McCain are conventionally regarded as presenting an impressive choice and a genuine contrast for the next president: youth versus seniority, hope versus experience, a thoughtful progressive versus an independent conservative. But much of this contrast is focused on character and personality traits, not policy. Is foreign policy likely to figure prominently in the general election? And are the candidates offering a marked contrast in policy prescriptions or merely differences at the margins?

For more than six years, United Nations and European Union sanctions against terror suspects have failed to meet commonly-accepted standards of fairness.Despite recent reforms, especially to EU procedures, they do not guarantee fair and impartial treatment. This is all the more worrying given that both organisations stand for the protection and promotion of human rights. Ultimately, the flawed sanctions will damage the integrity and credibility of the UN and the EU as well as harming people who are wrongfully accused or punished disproportionately.