Globalization and Human Rights: Challenges and Answers from a European Perspective PDF
Preview Globalization and Human Rights: Challenges and Answers from a European Perspective
Globalization and Human Rights IUS GENTIUM COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON LAW AND JUSTICE VOLUME13 Series Editors MortimerN.S.Sellers UniversityofBaltimore JamesMaxeiner UniversityofBaltimore BoardofEditors MyroslavaAntonovych,Kyiv-MohylaAcademy NadiadeArau´jo,PontificalCatholicUniversityofRiodeJaneiro JasnaBaksLic-Muftic,UniversityofSarajevo DavidL.CareyMiller,UniversityofAberdeen LoussiaP.MusseFe´lix,UniversityofBrasilia EmanuelGross,UniversityofHaifa JamesE.Hickey,Jr.,HofstraUniversity JanKlabbers,UniversityofHelsinki Cla´udiaLimaMarques,FederalUniversityofRioGrandedoSul AnicetoMasferrer,UniveristyofValencia EricMillard,WestParisUniversity Gabrie¨lMoens,MurdochUniversity RaulC.Pangalangan,UniversityofthePhilippines RicardoLeitePinto,Lus´ıadaUniversityofLisbon MizanurRahman,UniversityofDhaka KeitaSato,ChuoUniversity PoonamSaxena,UniversityofDelhi GerrySimpson,LondonSchoolofEconomics EduardSomers,UniversityofGhent XinqiangSun,ShandongUniversity TadeuszTomaszewski,WarsawUniversity JaapdeZwaan,ErasmusUniversityRotterdam Forfurthervolumes: http://www.springer.com/series/7888 Jesu´s Ballesteros Encarnacio´n Ferna´ndez Ruiz-Ga´lvez Pedro Talavera Editors Globalization and Human Rights Challenges and Answers from a European Perspective 123 Editors Jesu´sBallesteros Encarnacio´nFerna´ndezRuiz-Ga´lvez PhilosophyofLaw PhilosophyofLaw UniversityofValencia UniversityofValencia CampusTarongers Valencia,Spain EdificioDepartamentalCentral Avda.deLosNaranjosS/N Valencia,Spain PedroTalavera PhilosophyofLaw UniversityofValencia Valencia,Spain ISBN978-94-007-4019-8 ISBN978-94-007-4020-4(eBook) DOI10.1007/978-94-007-4020-4 SpringerDordrechtHeidelbergNewYorkLondon LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2012935856 ©SpringerScience+BusinessMediaB.V.2012 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartof thematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation, broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherphysicalway,andtransmissionorinformation storageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodology nowknownorhereafterdeveloped.Exemptedfromthislegalreservationarebriefexcerptsinconnection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. 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Printedonacid-freepaper SpringerispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia(www.springer.com) Preface The book is the result of a research project by the Spanish Ministry of Science andEducation(2007–2010),aswellasaPrometeoprojectforgroupsofexcellence bytheGeneralitatValencianaon“Humanrights,sustainabilityandpeace”(2010– 2013). The different chapters of the book have been in turn presented and discussed withintheframeworkoftwointernationalconferences.Thefirstcalled“Globalisa- tionandinternationaljustice”washeldattheUIMP(Valencia)inJuly2007.Along with the authors of the book, researchers from the universities of Corun˜a, Padua, “TorVergata”Rome,andtheInternationalInstituteofHumanRightsinStrasbourg tookpart. The second of these international seminars was held in Javea Forum, in November 2007. The theme was Global Justice and, along with seven of the book’sauthors,renownedjurists(universityprofessorsandmagistrates)fromSpain andNorthAfrica:MoroccoandTunisia,tookpart.Theseminarwasaimedatyoung jurists from the Euro-Mediterraneanarea (one hundred young jurists from Spain, Italy,Israel,Jordan,Libya,MoroccoandTunisia). Some of the abstracts were also discussed at other universities: in Corun˜a (Spain), at the “International Seminar on the Philosophy of Law: Globalisation, Law, Conflict” (March, 2010), organised by Prof. Pedro Serna, and at Teramo (Italy)inNovember2010on“ThesignofCain.Contemporarydimensionsofbellic violence”organisedbyProf.GuidoSaraceni. Likewise,thecontentofsomechaptersarespeecheswhichhavebeendiscussed withintheframeworkofthe“InternationalSeminar:Whatfutureaftertheeconomic recession and the Arab Spring?” (May, 2011) organised by the Master in Human Rights,PeaceandSustainableDevelopmentCourse,DepartmentofthePhilosophy ofLaw,MoralsandPoliticsoftheUniversityofValencia,inwhichresearchersfrom PRIO, IECAH and the universitiesofNavarraand LuissGuidoCarli, Rome, took partalongwiththeauthorsofthebook. The publicationof thisbookwouldnothavebeen possiblewithoutthe support ofProfessorAnicetoMasferrer,towhomwewishtoexpressourgratitude. v Introduction Thebookanalysessomeofthecurrentthreatstohumanrights,aswellastopeace and development, posing them in relation to globalisation, and underlines their avoidable nature, for which a change of paradigm is becoming more and more necessary. Within the complexity of the globalisation phenomenon, both positive and negative aspects may be distinguished. Among the former, the advances brought about by ICTs as regards facilitating worldwide communication are noteworthy. In this sense, the role played by social networks is significant in the recent protests and demonstrations in Arab countries which have meant hope for the recoveryof the liberty and dignity of their people. On the other hand, the way in which globalizationis actually comingaboutseems to be intimately connectedto economism. This means a perversion of the economy into chrematistics and has madethepredominationacquiredbycapitaloverotherproductionfactors,suchas humannatureandhumanwork,possible. Thispredominationoffinanceshashad,andcontinuestohave,diverseworrying aspects, and implies risks for human rights in as much as it hides what is real, duetotheprecedenceofauto-referentialspeculation–whichalsoreliesonopaque financial instruments – over the true economy (productionof goodsand services) andoverpolitics(suchascooperationforthecommongood). The current economic recession is precisely due to this exorbitant growth of financesandalsototheirresponsibilitythatpermanentgrowthmeansfordebt,both on behalf of public institutions and companies and families, due to the covering up of debt, under the appearance of credit. In the first case, the debt came from unsustainablemilitaryexpensesstretchingfromtheVietnamwaruptotheinvasions of Afghanistan and Iraq; in the second situation, to consumerism linked to a perception of the human being subjected to a desire of wealth and pleasure, fruit ofthemanipulationofmarketingandalackofpersonalreflection.Thisrealityscam isconnectedwithpost-structuralideas,wherethepossibilityofrealreferences,with senseandtranscendence,isdenied,andwhereeverythingcomesdowntoagameof signifiers(Chap.1). vii viii Introduction This hiding of reality has negative effects for the protection of human rights. Fromthese,twoparadigmaticsituationsareanalysedinthefirstpartofthebook. The first consists of the voluntary and culpable hiding from its respective con- tributorysystemsfromwhichtheyrecurtotaxhavenstopracticethemostgenuine mode of exploitation: benefitting from social cooperation without participating in itsresponsibilities.Itis,therefore,afalsenon-participation,acaseofcriminalself- marginalisation.Non-transparentfinancial systems, tax havens, must be regulated and controlled urgently, given that their very existence means the most radical negationofdistributivejustice(Chap.2). Theothersituationistheexclusion,againsttheirwill,ofpeoplewithdisabilities, who are the objectof discriminationby those unaware of the differingabilitiesof others. In this case, it is the opposite of non-participation,for which society as a group is responsible. We have here a case of intolerable hetero-marginalisation, which impedes the recognition of the difference of disabled people as being compatible with equality of rights to make a truly inclusive society possible (Chap.3). Thehumanrightsaffectedinallofthesesituationsarefundamentallytherightto work,toahome,toparticipationand,attimes–suchasduringthepresentrecession, eventherighttofood.Economicglobalisationhasprovokedthereturnofextreme povertytonorthernhemispherecountriesandhasgeneratedseriousenvironmental consequences (destruction of non-renewable resources and the creation of non- recyclableresidues). The second part of the book deals with even more serious affronts to human rights: wars and the povertyassociated with them that is the cause of the greatest number of avoidable deaths in the world. Here, what is directly threatened is the righttolifeandhealth,duetoalackofdrinkingwater,foodandmedicines.These are threats due not to devaluation of politics and economies, but to their total disappearance in the face of violence. It is what is known as Failed States. Of them, there are two particularly significant examples: Afghanistan (Chap. 4) and Somalia(Chap.5),bothwith warsthathavelasted forthe pastthreedecades,and withdevastatingfamines.SomaliaisfirstintheForeignPolicylistofFailedStates of 2010 and Afghanistan is number six, but both appear in first place as regards delegitimisationoftheState. Reflection on both experiences is useful for illuminating problems of great relevance to the current debate on human rights in the context of international relationships. The problem of global-local conflicts, with irrefutable global im- plications (think of the link between the current conflict in Afghanistan with the self-named “War on Terrorism”, or the international repercussions of the actions ofSomalipirates),butthedevastatingeffectswhichdevelopandaresufferedona localscale,mainlybythecivilpopulationofthecountry(andthisissomethingthat isoftenignoredand/orhidden).Thedebateabouttheresponsibilitytoprotect,the tensionbetweenhumanitarianinterventionandnationalsovereignty,justwar,along withthemostefficientwaystofightunder-developmentandpoverty:fairtradeand cooperationfordevelopment.Theneedtoreturntoanatmosphereofpoliticsinthe mostnoblesenseofthewordtoovercomeviolencebymeansofcommunicationas Introduction ix anindispensableconditionforthesecuringandconsolidationofpeaceandtomake effectiverespectforhumanrightspossible. Thisleadsto the studyofthe currentsituation ofthe humanrightin continuity with the classic ius gentium and analyses its relationships with the ius in bello, – whichdeclaresallwarillegalwherethereisdeathofnon-warringpeople.Outlining justcausesofwarin thepresentday,takingintoaccountthe difficultiesofhaving effectivehumanrightsintimesofwar,necessitatestakingafreshlookattheproblem ofhumanitarianrights.Thisisconnectedtothepracticeofhumanrights,thatassists humanbeingsinconditionsofspecialvulnerability(Chap.6). Theconclusionsofthesechaptershighlighttheavoidablenatureofthesethreats, and therefore, the moral and legal urgency to fight against them. A change of paradigm is urged therefore, based on productive economy, compatible with ecologicalsustainabilityandwithaccesstoallresources,alongwiththeprecedence ofpoliticsasacapacityforcarryingoutactivitiestogetherunderthesupremacyof thelaw. In the third part, the European Union is presented as the geopolitcal area that ismostrespectfulofhumanrightsandasa possiblemodelforthe organisationof otherareas,duetoitsawarenessoftheavoidabilityofsocialevils,invirtueofthree fundamentalmotives. In the first place, the analysis of the role of public opinion in the European Union highlights the importance of the same to a market society. This is due to the clearly non-economist project of the founding fathers, which holds the recognition of values such as human dignity, life and liberty as non-negotiable highervalues,as such placed aboveeconomicinterestsand, therefore,susceptible onlytomediationbutnotnegotiation;thevalueofpluralisminsocietyandthepublic roleofreligionswithinthat,asareasthatuncoveraspectsofthehumanbeingthat escapegovernmentalmorals,suchassuffering,fragility,vulnerabilityandsolidarity itself.ThepluralismthatisattherootoftheEuropeanUnionshouldnotbeconfused withrelativismbutshouldbeinterpretedasanopeningfordialogueandintercultural exchange,whichdoesnotatallexcludethesearchforpracticaltruth.Ontheother hand,thenon-economismoftheEuropeanUnionisunitedwiththeimportanceof politics and States. “Europe cannot be a Europe of the citizens if it is not first a Europeofthetowns,anditcannotbeaEuropeofthetownsifnotasEuropeofthe States”(Chap.7). Inthesecondplace,Europeischaracterisedbyitslong-termdefenceofasocial StateofLaw,whichcannotbeconfusedwithfinancialcapitalism.Itistruethatthere havebeenhiccupsintheprocess,suchaswiththeMaastrichtTreaty,buttheLisbon Treatyinsistsonasocialmarketeconomy(art.3/3)thatisbasedontheprecedence of the productive sector over the financial one and on maintaining economic and socialrights(Chap.8). In third place, the European Union is presented to the world as a “peace project”. From its birth, founded on the reconciliation of the main participants in theSecondWorldWar,throughtheTreatyofRomeandtheEconomicCommunity, the “European project” has always been motivated by the search for peace as a priority.Andthatgreat(economicalandpolitical)projectstemsfromtheconviction
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