The Universality of Human Rights free essay sample

A discussion on international implementation of human rights. This paper discusses the idea of international human rights laws and its implementation by various nations. The author argues that implementation of such laws depend on nations voluntary consent. To argue that human rights are universal is, inevitably, to find oneself met by the counterargument that culture is supreme, that any attempt to make all peoples in the world follow a single set of behavioral standards is to force them to adopt Western, colonialist, patronizing standards. Cultural exceptionists, to use Franks (2001) phrase defend the right of each state to set norms for itself. The urge to stand upon indigenous rights and local custom is understandable, especially in a time of globalization, in which corporations seem to have become more powerful than governments.