LECTURE 14 - human rights and security

Question 1

Human rights

Answer 1

• inalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the
  pursuit of happiness
• theories of human rights sit on three main
  principles of natural law

Question 2

3 main principles of natural law

Answer 2

1) there are universal moral standards that
support individual rights;
2) there is a general duty to adhere to
these standards;
3) the application of these standards is not
limited to a particularly system, place

Question 3

5 rights separated into…

Answer 3

1st and 2nd gen

Question 4

1st gen

Answer 4

Civil and Political Rights

• Civil rights deal with standards of judiciary and penal
  systems.
• Political rights deal with specific components of
  participation in political power.
• These rights are often focused on when one talks about
  human rights.

Question 5

2nd gen

Answer 5

Economic and Social Rights

• Economic Rights deal with the sphere of human beings working,
  producing and servicing.
• Social Rights deal with standard of living and quality of life for all
  persons, including those not participating in economic activities.
• Cultural Rights deal with the cultural sphere of life including
  ethnic culture, subcultures, arts and science.

Question 6

7 elements of human security

Answer 6

1. Economic
2. Food
3. Health
4. Environmental
5. Personal
   6.Community
6. Political

Question 7

politics infiltrating the UN human rights council

Answer 7

• Based in Geneva, Committee of
  47 members
• responsible for strengthening
  the promotion and protection of
  human rights
• addressing situations of human
  rights violations and make
  recommendations
• Three main functions
  –Universial Periodic
  Review Mechanism
  –Advisory Committee
  –Complaints
  Procedure

Question 8

responsibility to protect (R2P)

Answer 8

• An attempt to deal with desire to protect human rights while grappling with challenge of state sovereignty
• Central question:
  When, if ever, is it appropriate for states to take military action against another, for the purpose of human protection of the resident peoples?
• Answer is in two basic principles:
  1. State sovereignty implies responsibility for protecting own people.
  2. International responsibility when state is unwilling or unable to halt or avert the serious harm to its population.

Question 9

elements of R2P

Answer 9

• The responsibility to prevent
  – address root causes.
• The responsibility to react
  – respond with appropriate measures.
• The responsibility to
  rebuild
  – full assistance with recovery, reconstruction and reconciliation.

Question 10

Principles for Military Intervention

Answer 10

1. Just cause threshold
   To warrant military intervention there must be serious and irreparable harm:
   * Large scale loss of life.
   * Large scale ethnic cleansing.
2. Precautionary principles

• Right intention:
  – primary purpose must be to halt or avert human suffering.
• Creates space for critique of almost any operation
  – multilateral operations, clearly supported by the
  victims concerned.
• Last resort:
  – every non-military option explored.
• Major sticking point at UNSC
  – reasonable grounds for believing lesser measures would not have succeeded.
• Differences in national approaches to conflict resolution
• Proportional means:
  – scale, duration and intensity of should be the minimum necessary.
• Reasonable prospects:
  – reasonable chance of success.
  – consequences of action not worse than the consequences of inaction.

3. Right authority

• Security Council most appropriate body.
• Authorization always sought prior to intervention.
• Security Council should deal promptly with requests.
• The Permanent Five members should agree not to apply their veto power.

4. Operational principles

the way that militaries/govs put their values into practice and get things done

Question 11

R2P today

Answer 11

Major concerns with
mission overreach
– Libya case the main
concern
* Security Council
agreement challenges
– Syrian conflict
* Very little internationalist
political appetite
– Typical R2P countries
not very interested
* i.e., Canada