18 concepts the spec wants you to use precisely, drawn from the Panther database. Read them, then test yourself.
In test mode, tap a concept to reveal its definition.
The concepts
Human rights global governance(tap to reveal)- The international system of organisations and treaties that tries to protect people's rights around the world.
Asian values (human rights debate)(tap to reveal)- The claim by some Asian governments that their cultures value the community over the individual, and that Western human rights ideas do not automatically apply to them. Critics say this is an excuse for authoritarianism.Use it: Use as key example of cultural relativism in human rights debate. Shows that universal human rights face challenge not just from state power but from competing philosophical frameworks. Link to Bangkok Declaration (E162) and difficulty of enforcing universal standards. Counter with Sen: Asian history contains strong traditions of tolerance and freedom too.
Cultural relativism (human rights)(tap to reveal)- The idea that there are no universal human rights because what counts as a right depends on your culture. Different societies have different values, so Western human rights cannot be imposed on everyone.Use it: Use as the main counter to universalism in human rights debates. Link to Bangkok Declaration (Asian values), Islamic critiques, and the difficulty of enforcing UDHR in non-Western contexts. Counter with Sen's argument that all cultures have internal traditions of freedom and that cultural relativism is used by authoritarian governments to suppress dissent.
Human rights(tap to reveal)- Basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to, simply by being human.
Human rights(tap to reveal)- Rights that belong to every person in the world, regardless of where they live or who they are.
Human rights awareness(tap to reveal)- The growing global knowledge and recognition of people's basic rights.
Universal human rights(tap to reveal)- The idea that human rights apply to every person, everywhere, regardless of nationality, culture, or national law.
Common humanity(tap to reveal)- The idea that all human beings share the same basic nature and dignity, regardless of where they come from, forming the foundation for human rights.
Global commons(tap to reveal)- Areas and resources that no single country owns, such as the oceans, the atmosphere, and Antarctica.
Humanitarian intervention(tap to reveal)- Military action taken against a state, without its consent, to protect civilians from mass atrocities or serious human rights abuses.
Human rights committees(tap to reveal)- UN bodies that check whether countries are following human rights agreements.
Human rights norms(tap to reveal)- Agreed international standards about how governments should treat people.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights(tap to reveal)- The 1948 UN document establishing the rights that belong to every person on Earth.
Bias accusations(tap to reveal)- The accusation that international organisations apply rules unfairly, favouring some countries over others.
Blair Doctrine / Liberal interventionism(tap to reveal)- Tony Blair's argument that the world community can and should send military forces into countries committing mass atrocities, because sovereignty is not a right to commit crimes against your own people.Use it: Use as the clearest liberal articulation of conditional sovereignty. Contrast with realist critique (states have no obligation to risk lives for strangers). Link to R2P as institutionalisation of same idea. Use legacy of Iraq 2003 to evaluate limits: doctrine discredited by strategic misuse and double standards.
Child labour(tap to reveal)- When children are made to work in harmful conditions, often to produce goods for global companies.
Double standards (Western)(tap to reveal)- The criticism that Western countries hold other countries to standards they do not apply to themselves, for example criticising human rights abuses in rival states while ignoring similar abuses by allies.
Ethnic cleansing(tap to reveal)- The organised and often violent removal of a particular ethnic or religious group from an area to make it ethnically uniform.