essayMichael

The main focus of the 2008 United States Presidential Election was not economic or environmental, it was human rights. Issues such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and universal healthcare took priority over free trade, indicating a commitment of United States citizens to improve the human condition through the presence of human rights.The human condition is defined as a measure of the productivity, lifestyle, and satisfaction of a population. When examined globally, it is noted that human rights vary between countries, but with the exception of extreme lack of civil liberties, the human condition is relatively the same.

 First, we will consider two regions that seem strikingly different, but are actually quite similar: The European Union, and Iran. Both regions have clearly stated charters that guarantee their citizens the most basic human rights. And while the former is secularly based, and the latter founded in Islamic religion, each political document establishes basic rights such as a judicial system, expression (except when criticizing major political/religious figures), and individual rights as deemed appropriate by the citizens of each country. Although Westerners may examine Iranian rights, and view them as restrictive, a recent survey revealed that 74% of Iranians trust the Iranian government most or some of the time - a higher percentage than Romania (a member of the EU). Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Iranians, like most Europeans, will lead successful, productive, content lives - making the “human condition” experienced by Europeans similar to that experienced by Iranians with respect to human rights.

 A third country to consider in the scheme of human rights is the People’s Republic of China. In stark contrast to the individual rights guaranteed by the EU and other regions, China instead chooses to view human rights from a collective perspective. In other words, China views individuals as part of a collective, with each individual responsible for the group’s benefit. In this way, China indirectly guarantees individual rights in a more Communist approach than the Western World. Although Chinese citizens are sometimes seen as dissatisfied with their rights, in protests such as Tiananmen Square, when examined from the Chinese moral doctrine, it can be concluded that collectively, the human rights guaranteed in China lead to citizens that on average lead lives not altogether different from those in the West - productive, successful, and content.

 It is important to note that a minority of modern countries do not possess human rights sufficient enough to allow their condition to be that of the rest of the world. For example, the Democratic Republic of the Congo experiences genocide, and total military dictatorship imposed by warlords, using violence for personal gain in ethnic disputes. These attitudes place the citizens in a position where their lives are ruled by arbitrary violence, and they are not allowed to enjoy the stability, security, and productivity that characterizes countries with human rights. Additionally, countries such as Iran do not extend human rights to women, and therefore create much the same situation as those experienced in the Congo.

 The question at hand is not of moral judgement on the human rights guaranteed in countries agree with Western moral philosophy, it is the condition of these countries. It has been proved, that a variety of ideological and political forms of human rights structures lead to a majority of countries, that produce citizens that are stable, secure, productive, and content - leading to the conclusion that the human condition is independent of local human rights, with the notable exception of countries whose lack of human rights lead to citizens that are oppressed and likely to rebel.

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