Iconic Images of Human Rights Violations (119): Korean War
(source) More on Korea and on decapitation. More iconic images of human rights violations.
Search Results for: korea
The Most Absurd Human Rights Violations (116): Gendered Bicycle Policy in North Korea
(source) It’s now illegal (again) for women to ride bicycles in North Korea. The country’s leader Kim Jung Un reinstated his father’s absurd law, but only after he lifted the ban last year. The late Kim Jong Il decreed in the mid-90s no woman should ride a bike after the daughter of a top general, the vice-chair […]
Human Rights Nonsense (39): North Korea Goes For World Record in Chutzpah
(source) North Korea’s U.N. delegation declared on Friday that it was proud of Pyongyang’s social system and human rights record and rejected as baseless a U.N. monitor’s report that described appalling human rights abuses in the reclusive country. … “We have nothing to hide,” [North Korean delegate Kim Song] said. “We have nothing to be […]
Iconic Images of Human Rights Violations (98): Korean Separations
More on Korea. More iconic images of human rights violations.
The Most Absurd Human Rights Violations (102): North Korean Prison Camps
Here are two pictures drawn by North Korean defectors who spent time in the country’s notorious prison camps: (source) More on Korea. More absurd human rights violations.
Iconic Images of Human Rights Violations (77): Korean War
(source) More on the Korean war, and on human rights in Korea.
Political Jokes & Funny Quotes (92): North Korea
Two men are talking on a Pyongyang subway train: “How are you, comrade?” “Fine, how are you doing?” “Comrade, by any chance, do you work for the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party?” “No, I don’t.” “Have you worked for the Central Committee before?” “No, I haven’t.” “Then, are any of your family members working […]
The Most Absurd Human Rights Violations (21): The North Korean Famine
(source) From 1995 to 1997, famine raged in North Korea. According to a report by North Korea’s Public Security Ministry, up to 3 million lost their lives (source). As this isn’t the most neutral observer, real numbers are probably much higher. (See an older post here about not trusting governments with the job of human rights measurement). Still today, the […]
Human Rights Nonsense (4): North Korea Denounces Japan’s Human Rights Abuses
(source) From the Korean Central News Agency, the state news agency of North Korea (notice the quirky diction): Some time ago, the second meeting of the UN Human Rights Council heard a report from the UN special rapporteur on racism and racial discrimination stripping bare Japan’s human rights abuses and discussed it. … It is […]
Political Jokes & Funny Quotes (38): North Korea
(source) More on Korea.
Human Rights Facts (17): What Dictatorship Does to You, A Comparison of North and South Korea
(source) Needless to say that North Korea and South Korea, since the division of the country in 1948, took very different roads. If we take a look at the two countries now, and see how differently they developed since 1948 – when they started off at roughly the same level – we can see what […]
Human Rights Maps (180): The Death Toll of Illegal Immigration
The days when border guards deliberately shot and killed would-be migrants are over, with a few exceptions. However, illegal migration remains a risky business in many parts of the world. Border fortifications, unsafe means of transportation (such as containers, inappropriate boats or the wheel storage rooms of aircraft), travel by night, unscrupulous “coyotes” combined with […]
Statistics on Capital Punishment in the U.S.
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on Capital Punishment in the U.S. Content 1. Death penalty laws in the U.S. 2. Numbers of executions, trends 3. Public support 4. Death row numbers 5. Methods of execution 6. Deterrence? 7. Racial discrimination in the use of capital punishment 8. Numbers by age, gender and occupation of the […]
Human Rights Nonsense (33): A Very Dirty Pot Calls the Kettle Black
(source) While complaints about respect for human rights in the U.S. are often well-founded, it’s weird when these complaints are issued by the Chinese government: [T]he US released its annual human rights report last Thursday. And in response, China’s Information Office of the State Council released its own report specifically about human rights in the […]
Human Rights Nonsense (31): Dalai Lama is Nazi, Says China
(source) I did hear about some similar cases before - for example, North Korea lecturing Japan on human rights, and the late Gaddafi lecturing Switzerland (!) on human rights - but this is the best: A state-run Chinese website has launched a bitter attack on the Dalai Lama, accusing the exiled Buddhist leader of Nazi racial policies and inciting Tibetans to […]
Human Rights Facts (69): What Dictatorship Does to You, A Comparison of East Germany Before and After the Fall of Communism
After a previous post comparing North and South Korea – a natural experiment for assessing the value of political freedom – I stumbled across the work of photographer Stefan Koppelkamm who has done something similar in Germany: During a trip to East Germany in 1990, photographer Stefan Koppelkamm discovered buildings that had survived both the […]
What is Freedom? (5): Is Poverty a Denial of Our Freedom?
(source) Freedom is commonly, but in my view mistakenly, defined in a narrow way, namely as the frustration of our goals or our choice of goals by the intentional (or, less restrictively, unintentional) actions of other human agents. These actions can be of two types: intervention with or obstruction of our goals or choices, or […]
My Latest Tweets
Philosophy: you don’t have to be smart to be stupid, but it helps Julian Baggini: “Conservatism is not a philosophy but a disposition”, or in other words, you can’t win an argument with ME my 2011 annual blog report, for addicts only http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/2011/annual-report/ #yearinreview marriage = inattentional blindness + confirmation bias + sunk cost fallacy […]
Human Rights Maps (165): Some of the World’s Most Fortified Borders
All national borders are the locus of strict enforcement: there is no country on earth where foreigners can just come in as they wish, and all states are eager to defend the integrity and completeness of their territory and the security of their citizens against attacks by other states or by terrorist infiltrators. Some authoritarian states […]
Human Rights Ads (65): Throwing Pies at Dictators
(source, source) More on Mugabe, Zimbabwe, Ahmadinejad, Iran, Kim Jong Il, and Korea. More on pie throwing. More human rights ads.
Measuring Human Rights (18): Guerrilla Polling in Dictatorships
Measuring respect for human rights is most important in societies where respect is a rare commodity. The problem is that it’s not only most important in such societies, but also most difficult. You need a certain level of freedom to measure respect for human rights. And regimes that violate rights also have the means to […]
Discrimination (8): What’s Wrong With Discrimination?
(source unknown) Let me try out a few possible answers to the question in the title of this post: Is discrimination wrong because it’s differential treatment of persons? That can’t be the case, because we treat people differently all of the time: some people earn more than others, have better grades in school, have a […]
Measuring Human Rights (13): When More Means Less and Vice Versa
I’ve said it a few times before in this blog series: human rights violations can make it difficult to measure human rights violations, and can distort international comparisons of the levels of respect for human rights. Country A, which is generally open and accessible and on average respects basic rights such as speech, movement and […]
My Latest Tweets
No North Korean soccer supporters in S Africa. Too much risk of defection. But they did hire a group of Chinese to “act” as supporters. Why is geology an “exact” science when economics is not? Equally lousy predictive skills I say. Hope I’ll make it to Iceland next month. Strange: most people believe bad publicity […]
The Causes of Poverty (36): Overpopulation (Because the Extent of Wrongness in Overpopulation Discourse is an Infinite Number)
(source) I never cease to be amazed by the persistence of overpopulation discourse in the face of irrefutable counter-evidence. The coming explosion of the population bomb is predicted time and again, with the same accuracy as the Christian Apocalypse. The spectacular failure of Paul Ehrlich‘s predictions in 1968, for example, seems to have had the […]
The Most Absurd Human Rights Violations (42): Child Starves While Parents Play Computer Game
Kim Yoo-chul, 41, and his partner Choi Mi-sun, 25 (not in the photo), fed their three-month-old baby only on visits home between 12-hour sessions at a neighbourhood internet cafe, where they were raising an avatar daughter in a Second-Life-style game called Prius online, police said. Leaving their real daughter at their home in a suburb […]
Why Do Countries Become/Remain Democracies? Or Don’t? (12): Arab Democracy, an Oxymoron?
When people look for reasons why countries haven’t made the transition from authoritarian government to democracy, they often mention economic development or culture, or both. And culture usually means religion more specifically. And religion usually means Islam. Now it’s true that if you look at the largest Muslim region, the Arab world (roughly North Africa […]
Religion and Human Rights (24): Why and How Do We Separate State and Church? And What Are the Consequences for Religious Liberty?
A bit more about the proper role of religion in a modern democracy (see here for the original post I’m building on). I know it’s making things more simple than they actually are, but one can see the history of modern democracy as a continuing and progressive effort of the law and government policy to […]
The Causes of Human Rights Violations (16)
We usually distinguish between three different origins of human rights violations: The state. States commit rights violations for different reasons. Rulers may believe that such violations are necessary in order to maintain power, undermine or destroy the opposition, and impose some world view or economic organization of society. Or they may think that some types of violations are necessary […]
Human Rights Ads (35): Band of Dictators
(source) More on Korea, Zimbabwe and Myanmar (aka Burma). More human rights ads.
Political Graffiti (71): Communism
On the 20th anniversary of the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism: The story behind the person waving the flag is here. More on communism. More political graffiti.
What Are Human Rights? (20): Universal Rights
A few more words on the universality of human rights (following up from here). Legally, human rights are universal norms and rules. Almost all countries in the world have accepted international treaties that translate human rights into law, or have accepted membership of international institutions which proclaim to respect human rights or work towards the realization […]
The Recession, the Economics Profession, and the Prediction of the Future
(source) The current economic recession has cast a shadow on the economics profession. Economists are blamed for not having foreseen the recession. There’s for example this famous article by Paul Krugman. Whereas many economists undoubtedly have encouraged wrong policies and harmful trade practices, I think it’s unfair to criticize them for failing to predict the […]
Gender Discrimination (18): Missing Women and Gendercide in China and India
Some more data following two earlier posts on the subject of gendercide (see here and here). The word gendercide describes the results of sex-selective abortions that take place on a massive scale in some countries, particularly India and China. These abortions have led to the “disappearance” of perhaps more than 100 million girls and women […]
Political Jokes & Funny Quotes (46): Capitalist Hell and Communist Hell
A man dies and goes to hell. There he discovers that he has a choice: he can go to capitalist hell or to communist hell. Naturally, he wants to compare the two, so he goes over to capitalist hell. There outside the door is the devil, who looks a bit like Ronald Reagan. “What’s it […]
Human Rights Facts (39): The Arms Industry in 2008
(source) From SIPRI: Global military spending reached a record $1,464 billion last year with the United States taking up by far the biggest share of the total. Arms shipments were up 4 percent worldwide from 2007 and 45 percent higher than in 1999. The United States accounted for 58 percent of the worldwide increase between 1999 […]
Human Rights Facts (35): The Recession and Organ Trade
(source, from Flickr user Faraz_Designer) One more way in which the recession affects human rights. From William Saletan: Will the global recession push more people to sell their organs? Apparently, the answer is yes. … You don’t normally think of selling your body’s parts or products. But bad times can make you think hard. One […]
Human Rights Maps (37): Worst Terrorist Attacks
This map, compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston, and last updated 24 August 2008, shows the worst terrorist attacks, worst meaning attacks resulting in 100 or more fatalities: (source, click on the image to enlarge) Legend: 1: 13 Dec 1921: bombing of Bolgard palace in Bessarabia (modern Moldova) (100) 2: 16 Apr 1925: bombing of cathedral […]
Human Rights Cartoon (46): China’s Support for Rogue States
(source) In addition to its widespread disregard for human rights at home, China has now become the main supporter of some of the world’s most loathed dictators. The governments of Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iran, North-Korea, Burma and many others regularly receive Chinese support in many different ways: China uses its veto power in the U.N. Security […]
Statistics on Terrorism
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on War & Conflict > Statistics on Terrorism Content 1. Some preliminary remarks 2. US terrorism deaths 3. Global terrorism deaths 4. Worst terrorist attacks 5. Age of terrorists, numbers of plots and attacks 6. Aircraft terrorism 7. Activities of particular terrorist groups 8. Public opinion on the justifiability of terrorism 9. […]
The Ethics of Human Rights (5): China, Confucianism and Authoritarianism
Confucianism, the traditional Chinese ethical and philosophical system based on the teachings of Confucius (551 BCE – 479 BCE), is often blamed for the lack of freedom and the authoritarian and anti-democratic form of government in China. This post examines the merits of this attack. Confucianism is not a religion, although many believe it is, perhaps because […]
Statistics on Modern Slavery
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on Labor Conditions > Statistics on Modern Slavery There are 27 million slaves worldwide. Most are held in bonded servitude, particularly after taking loans they could not repay. A person is a slave for six years, after which the person usually escapes, repays the debts holding them, or dies. Most of the […]
Statistics on Hunger
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on Poverty > Statistics on Poverty and Hunger Content 1. Definition of hunger 2. Numbers of people suffering from hunger 3. Evolution of the numbers 4. Geographical breakdown and hunger maps 5. Children suffering from hunger 6. Calorie intake levels 7. Causes of hunger 8. Consequences of hunger 9. Food security and […]
Statistics on Military Spending
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on War & Conflict > Statistics on Military Spending Content 1. Total military spending by region and country 2. National military spending as percentage of global military spending, ranking of biggest spenders 3. Military spending as percentage of GDP 4. Military spending per capita 5. Number of soldiers per capita 6. Number […]
Statistics on Migration
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on Xenophobia, Migration & Asylum > Statistics on Migration Content 1. Numbers of migrants 1.1. Destinations 1.2. Origins 1.3. Religious affiliation 2. Main migration routes 3. Legal and illegal migration 4. Public opposition to migration 5. Migration and crime 6. Migration and education 7. Potential migration 8. Internal migration 9. Migration to […]
Statistics on Discrimination of Women
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on Discrimination > Statistics on Discrimination of Women Content 1. Gender inequality in general 2. Gender inequality at work 2.1. Wage gap 2.2. Occupational gender segregation 2.3. Glass ceiling 2.4. Cultural and legal restrictions to women’s right to work 2.5. Labor force participation 3. Gender inequality in education 4. Gender inequality in […]
Statistics on Capital Punishment
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on Capital Punishment Content 1. Death penalty laws 2. Numbers of executions 3. Trends in capital punishment: numbers of executions, legal abolitionism, and public support 4. Death row numbers 5. Methods of execution 6. Deterrence? 7. Racial discrimination in the use of capital punishment 8. Capital punishment for drug offenses […]
Statistics on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Correlations
You are here: Home > Human Rights Statistics > Statistics on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Correlations Introduction On this page, we’ll have a look at the level and the growth rate of countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – or, better, their GDP per capita in order to compare like with like and to correct for increases or decreases in GDP that are caused by changes in the […]
Human Rights Facts (9): Military Spending
This is a follow-up of a previous post on the evolution of war in the world. Whereas the number of wars and their intensity seem to decrease over the last decades, the same cannot be said of the arms trade and the defense budgets. This makes it difficult to hope that the statistics on warfare […]
Human Rights Quote (40): Double Standards
(photo by Dennis Hopper, source unknown) Double Standard 1. a rule or principle applied more strictly to some people than to others (or to oneself). – The Concise Oxford English Dictionary. I think I made it clear in this blog how I feel about the importance of promoting democracy and human rights worldwide. However, often it […]
