Powerful nations are undermining international law, leading to global injustice and the erosion of human rights enforcement ~~ by Gerry Chidiac The years between 1945 and 1949 were a golden age for human rights. As people reflected on the Holocaust and the devastation of the Second World War, they recognized the importance of a system of international law to prevent such catastrophes from happening again. This period saw the adoption of the Genocide Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, along with updates to the Geneva Conventions defining war crimes. It soon became clear, however, that powerful countries and individuals had no intention of being held accountable to these ideals. They continued to act with impunity, and millions of people were killed. There was another moment of hope as the Cold War ended in the early 1990s. But again, world leaders—especially those in the so-called First World—failed to seize the opportunity to build a peaceful world. Instea...
A discussion on political, economic and social issues in British Columbia, and Canada