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that some other countries have been treated as if they were immune. The
reason in these cases is obvious: they carry political weight. Such selectivity
politicizes the international discourse and undermines the notion of
impartiality.
Governments in the South have also reacted against the manner in which
critics have voiced their concerns. The ‘naming and shaming’ have irritated
some political leaders deeply. This in particular as such criticisms have often
had a moral tone, implying sometimes that the failures of those responsible
have criminal dimensions. It is symptomatic that governments fight hard to
avoid even being mentioned in the Human Rights Commission.
The sensitivity of being targeted has increased with the discussion on
humanitarian intervention. The very term ‘intervention’ has become sensitive
not least after the 1999 bombing campaign against the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia, which was justified by NATO, partly, as an action for the
protection of the human rights of the Kosovars. A number of member states
of the United Nations have reacted against what they see as a tendency by
the United States and NATO to consider using military means for neocolonial
ambitions.
Politication of human rights
The human rights community has reason to consider the implications of
these complex tendencies. 2 For one, several rights groups were once inspired
by the anti-colonial movement and cannot be insensitive to the risk
that human rights rhetoric may be used with hegemonic ambitions. What
approach would be appropriate?
Human rights are political by their very nature and raise sensitive issues in
the political arena. If not, they would fail to encourage genuine reform.
However, there are negative aspects of politicization and these have probably
reduced the effectiveness of the human rights efforts. One example is
the above-mentioned ‘selectivity’ in the choice of countries to be monitored,
a tendency which in turn has contributed to a North-South divide.
The rich Western countries which dominate the international human rights
discourse, in particular the United States, have defined the key issues in a
partial manner. Economic and social rights, seen by developing countries as
especially important, have been ignored or not recognized as more than
‘ambitions’. Development programs and human rights work have been seen
2 The ‘human rights community’ is not a well-defined category. I use the term to describe an
informal network of organizations, institutions, academics, other professionals, writers and other
activists contributing to the human rights cause. It should be recognized that there are a number of
individuals in the inter-governmental organizations, in particular the Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights, who make important contributions. Some national governmental structures
pursue a policy which is clearly pro-human rights.