global sac 4

Question 1

realism

Answer 1

• “Realism refers to the idea that states are the central actors in international politics rather than individuals or international organisations and that states desire power so that they can ensure their own self-preservation.”
  suggests that states are divided by racial, cultural, religious or ethnic factors and therefore have their own specific sets of standards and ethical considerations

Question 2

cosmopolitanism

Answer 2

• “Cosmopolitanism refers to the idea that all human beings belong to a single community, based on a shared morality.”
• This concept promotes collective values above individual racial, cultural or ethnic ties

Question 3

ethics

Answer 3

• Seeks to address questions of morality. This extends to global politics on the basis that a common humanity binds all human beings beyond individuals in states to the world as a whole, thus necessitating certain actions

Question 4

justice

Answer 4

• A concept of moral rightness based on ethics, law, fairness and equity that, importantly, also seeks punishment when said ethics are breached

Question 5

treaty 1 - Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC 1990)

Answer 5

• A human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children
• Effective on 2 September 1990 (once 20 ratifications were made)

Question 6

CRC provisions

Answer 6

• Article 14:
  o “States Parties shall respect the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”
• zimbabwe childrens amendment bill
• teenage christian boy arrested for sharing ‘blasphemous’ Facebook post in Pakistan

Question 7

CRC positive impact

Answer 7

• The CRC has been almost universally ratified, with only 3 states in the world signing but not ratifying the treaty
• The Convention has also served as a framework for the establishment of specialists organisations that promote children’s rights
• Costa Rica, for example, now uses a system called a “social rights audit” to monitor and evaluate the country’s compliance with the convention
• 2014: Samoa adopts their first National Policy for Children and the ‘Talavou Youth Program’. These measures finance national youth forums and provide rehabilitation work for young offenders.

Question 8

CRC negative impact

Answer 8

• Although the Convention has been widely ratified, Somalia, South Sudan and America have not.
• Although Presidents Clinton and Obama have supported ratification, opposition by republicans in the Senate has made it clear that the treaty would not pass.
• Opponents of the treaty say it “would usurp American sovereignty” (Economist 2014)
• American’s under the age of 18 can be jailed for life without parole, providing a stark contrast to the values of the CRC.
• 1/3 of American states allow corporal punishment in schools and none ban it at home
• Jo Becker of Human Rights Watch – “It is awkward when the US tries to promote child rights in other countries – they all remind us that they’ve joined the treaty and we have not.”
• Although the USA is only one state, it’s lack of support for the CRC erodes its credibility internationally.