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Does the West still value human rights in light of its dismissal of Khashoggi's death? Does the West still value human rights in light of its dismissal of Khashoggi's death?
Yes, the universal norm of human rights still holds strong in the West Yes, the universal norm of human rights still holds strong in the West
Yes, despite that Western countries and non-Western countries perceive human rights differently Yes, despite that Western countries and non-Western countries perceive human rights differently
Hard to say, because promoting human rights globally is complicated Hard to say, because promoting human rights globally is complicated
Not exactly, Western governments' positions on honouring human rights are selective Not exactly, Western governments' positions on honouring human rights are selective
No. Western governments are hypocrites on so-called belief in human rights No. Western governments are hypocrites on so-called belief in human rights
World powers unite with western countries to support global human rights World powers unite with western countries to support global human rights
Western countries have organizations that help countries that need help Western countries have organizations that help countries that need help
Countries set different goals for human rights Countries set different goals for human rights
Human rights are expressive of Western norms Human rights are expressive of Western norms
Denial of human rights obligations is difficult to punish Denial of human rights obligations is difficult to punish
The importance of civil vs cultural rights is debated The importance of civil vs cultural rights is debated
The West can't interfere in others' domestic affairs The West can't interfere in others' domestic affairs
The West compromises human rights in other countries for economic gains The West compromises human rights in other countries for economic gains
The West is threatened by economic growth in developing countries The West is threatened by economic growth in developing countries
Human rights norms were formed by the West Human rights norms were formed by the West
The west overlooks human rights for financial agreements The west overlooks human rights for financial agreements
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Does the West still value human rights in light of its dismissal of Khashoggi's death?
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Yes, the universal norm of human rights still holds strong in the West

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Western countries have organizations that help countries that need help

Save a child, UNICEF, and Oxfam are a few examples of organizations that go out in the world and help bring resources to countries that need help. Poverty, famine, and war have ruined countries around the world. In an effort to support them, western countries contribute resources to improve these countries' quality of life.
Oishimaya Sen Nag
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Context

Red cross, Oxfam, and Save the children are some western organizations that help countries that suffer from poverty and lack of health care. After Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian journalist for the New York Times, was murdered, the Saudi Arabian prince Mohammad bin Salman was accused of by the CIA to have ordered his assassination. The prince denied is involvement and instead claimed that 5 suspects were found. Instead, of investigating further, President Trump expressed satisfaction in suspects being held accountable, although the CIA disagreed. After the ordeal, people in the West have wondered if their countries overlook human rights for international relationships.

The Argument

Crisis plagues many developing and war-torn countries. About 11% of the world suffers from poverty [1] while 15 countries are war torn.[2] With so much pain and suffering, the United Nations has made countless efforts to help people. This includes western countries like North America and Europe. The Red Cross, Save the Children, and the Human Rights Watch are a couple of organizations that provide support for countries that need help. They were founded by western countries and have been functioning for many years. The west was the first set of countries to truly care about countries outside of their own. They understood the importance of making sure everyone on the globe has enough wealth, food, and housing to live prosperous lives. Although western countries are not perfect, they still have helped others. Sometimes compromise needs to be made to support a country wholly. With Khashoggi’s death, breaking ties with Saudi Arabia would be detrimental to help fund these organizations. It would also keep western countries from supporting Saudi Arabia when it needs help.

Counter arguments

The Red Cross, Save the Children, and the Human Rights Watch is more than just western country organizations. Those organizations have become a way for many countries to contribute to helping the world. It’s more than just western countries’ organizations. In fact, other countries have taken measures to ensure human rights better than western countries have. Thailand has a universal healthcare system that allows any foreigner or migrant access to necessary healthcare. Japan takes care of its elderly population with respect while America puts them in nursing homes with medication. Even New Zealand outranks Australia, the United Kingdom, and America when it comes to having the best human rights on a national scale.[3] Even during the crisis of COVID-19, non-western countries such as South Korea have gotten a hold on the outbreak. Western countries have taken credit for helping people around the world. The organizations they’ve helped with have brought a lot of people good provisions. However, it is very flawed. Instead of being careful about what agreements are in place where countries violate human rights willingly, human rights should be supported shamelessly.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Human rights organization are fueled by western countries to help countries in poverty and war. [P2] Human rights should be used carefully in difficult agreements.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Most of the human rights organizations are internationally fueled. [Rejecting P2] Human rights should always be considered regardless of foreign agreements.

References

  1. https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/global-poverty-hunger-facts#:~:text=Global%20Poverty%20Facts.%20Here%20are%20some%20statistics%20that,extreme%20poverty%20on%20less%20than%20%241.90%20per%20day
  2. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-world-s-most-war-torn-countries.html
  3. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/the-10-countries-that-care-the-most-about-human-rights-according-to-perception
This page was last edited on Friday, 24 Jul 2020 at 16:47 UTC

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