CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN HUMAN RIGHTS

Abstract

The end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union have brought fundamental changes to the international system. The post-Cold War system is no longer based on a balance of terror and nuclear deterrence between the two blocs, but on moral values like democracy, human rights and rule of law, shared by all countries. This change has led states to give prominence to human rights in their foreign policies. Human rights questions moved to the forefront of the international agenda. However, it has also created tension between the human rights defenders and governments. For some activist groups, human rights have turned into a new cult, ignoring the existing parameters of the international system in which human rights are practised.