Recently on openGlobalRights, Joel Pruce and Doutje Lettinga lamented the non-revolutionary—even anti-revolutionary—nature of human rights. Success has made rights-focused NGOs “soft”, earning reproach from critics such as the Russian musician-activists Pussy Riot. More harshly, some say international groups such as Human Rights Watch are now complicit in US imperialism and militarism.
These critics are wrong in their conclusions even if their observations are correct. Yes, human rights are “no longer revolutionary”, but this is a good thing, not a weakness. Human rights concepts are being incorporated into the language and practices of powerful states and big corporations, helping to make the world a better, safer place.
The achievements of human rights groups are myriad. Since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 vague, aspirational notions of what is necessary to preserve human dignity have been integrated into the discourse not only of progressive activists and academics, but also of conservative campaigners, state officials, the media, and corporate moguls. The ubiquity of human rights illustrates how the concept, possibility, and protection of rights have, in fact, persevered. No longer the territory of a handful of “radicals”, human rights have gone mainstream; they are no longer a concept for revolutionaries to use but, instead, for everyone to internalize.
