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93 | Mond.Idéalisation
James Wellstead | Universal Human Rights
UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS: MORAL THEORIES,
ENFORCEMENT AND THE CHALLENGES OF
GLOBALIZATION
James Wellstead
University of Ottawa
Defined broadly here as an uneven increasing physical and virtual transmission of tangible
and intangible elements across physical, social and political barriers through emerging and
established networks, I engage the concept of globalization on the claim it represents an
unparalleled challenge to the sovereignty of nation-states within the enforcement of human
rights. While debate continues to thrive around the exact nature of globalization, moral
theories of universal human rights, and political theories of the protection of those rights,
this paper attempts to draw connections between these three conversations with the aim of
strengthening responses for universal rights in a global era. The analysis concludes that both
approaches must reconcile the contemporary realities of globalization in order to gain
relevance in universal human rights enforcement.
James Wellstead is a recent graduate of the School for
International Development and Global Studies’ MA
program. Currently, he lives in Vancouver, BC and works
as a reporter and research consultant focused on issues of
sustainability, governance and political economy in the
mining and resource extraction sectors.