Monthly Archives: May 2009

Terrorism and Human Rights (15): Does Respect for Human Rights Reduce Terrorism?

Posted on May 20, 2009 by

(source) Here is an extremely interesting paper by James Walsh and James Piazza. Quote: Some hold that restricting human rights is a necessary if unfortunate cost of preventing terrorism. Others conclude that such abuses aggravate political grievances that contribute to … Continue reading →

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The Causes of Poverty (22): Poverty Trap – Why Being Poor Makes You Poorer

Posted on May 20, 2009 by

(source) The poorer you are, the more things cost. For example, if you’re poor, it’s possible or even likely that you don’t own a car. That means it’s a lot harder to shop around for the best deals. It also … Continue reading →

Posted in causes of poverty, poverty | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Political Jokes & Funny Quotes (32): War

Posted on May 19, 2009 by

(source) If you’re in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it’ll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real … Continue reading →

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Human Rights Cartoon (52): Human Rights Depend on the Media

Posted on May 19, 2009 by

(source) The war between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil rebels seems to be at an end now. While the war itself was probably and to some extent a just war, given the atrocities committed by the rebels, the way … Continue reading →

Posted in human rights cartoon, war | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Human Rights Facts (32): Poverty and Obesity

Posted on May 19, 2009 by

(source) I already discussed in some length the relationship between poverty and ill health (see here and here). However, I haven’t mentioned one aspect of this relationship, namely obesity. Obesity is obviously a cause of ill health, and now it … Continue reading →

Posted in health, human rights facts, poverty | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Causes of Poverty (21): Absence of Human Rights and Democracy

Posted on May 18, 2009 by

(source) I’m often asked what is the most serious form of human rights violations in the world today, and my reply is consistent: extreme poverty. Mary Robinson (source) Sustained poverty reduction requires equitable growth – but it also requires that … Continue reading →

Posted in causes of poverty, democracy, poverty | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Dehumanization and Human Rights

Posted on May 18, 2009 by

Dehumanization or the expulsion from humanity makes rights violations a lot easier – easier to justify, also to one’s own conscience – because there can be no human rights violations if the victim is not really human or less then … Continue reading →

Posted in equality | Tagged , , , , , | 23 Comments

Iconic Images of Human Rights Violations (7): Genocide in Rwanda

Posted on May 18, 2009 by

(source) Photo by James Nachtwey, USA, Magnum, of a Hutu man mutilated by the Hutu ‘Interahamwe’ militia, who suspected him of sympathizing with the Tutsi rebels, Rwanda, June 1994. More about genocide here. More about Rwanda here. Suggest a new … Continue reading →

Posted in horror, iconic images of human rights violations | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Political Graffiti (43b): Zimbabwe’s Inflation Turns Money Into Wallpaper

Posted on May 18, 2009 by

(source) More on Zimbabwe.

Posted in art, governance, political graffiti | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Human Rights Ads (14): Girls Killed in India

Posted on May 18, 2009 by

(source, an Amnesty International ad) More on India. More on gendercide (and gendercide in China).

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