By Rina
Human rights have become a vital part of discourse among the international community in recent decades. As different regions of the world join the discourse on human rights, it becomes apparent that a universalist way of thinking about human rights on a global scale is problematic. In particular, Asian countries have weighed in on these issues more critically after the Second World War, which has contributed to a more diverse way of thinking about human rights. One assumption, however, is the opinion that “Asian values”, or the notion of a pan-Asian identity makes Asian countries collectively support regimes that are not conducive to advocating for human rights, or do not prioritize individual liberties within their societies. The purpose of this article is to argue that Asian values do not definitively determine a country’s political standpoints and also question human rights by arguing against the universalist way of thinking on this issue.
In 1993, in preparation for the World Conference on Human Rights, the Bangkok Declaration was adopted by ministers from different Asian states. This declaration reaffirmed these minister’s positions and commitments to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Charter. The Bangkok Declaration served as a milestone for the expression of Asian values and critiqued human rights universalism by offering a cultural relativist point of view, challenging mainstream Western ideas of human rights at the time. Although “universal in nature”, human rights must, as the Bangkok Declaration says, “..be considered in the context of a dynamic and evolving process of international norm-setting, bearing in mind the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds”. Lee Kwan Yew, the Prime Minister of Signapore, viewed universal human rights as an “alien imposition from the West, reflecting specific Western values, and argued for an approach based on “Asian values” instead” (Tew 5). Lee’s thesis also explored human rights from an economic lense. Many Asian countries emphasize placing the collective needs of a community before individual rights to create a better nation for its’ citizens. This Asian value is completely opposite of the highly individualized societies of the West.
The very notion of Asian values seeks to differentiate Asia as a continent and as a people from the rest of the world. As Amartya Sen, an Indian economist, writes: “The temptation to see Asia as one unit reveals, in fact, a distinctly Eurocentric perspective” (Sen 174). It is a huge generalization to assume Asia as an entity following the same values and traditions, even within the same country. However, it could be said that a pan-Asian identity that was expressed by officials such as Lee Kwan Yew helped to tackle the traditionally Western ideas of human rights. Previously, human rights as a subject had taken a shape that was largely due to the creation of the government and NGO activists of the big economic powers in Europe and North America (BBC). The convergence of Asian nations with nations in Africa allowed for these ideas to take shape in a way that demanded recognition from Western nations, and helped to transform the conversation on human rights into a more inclusive, international dialogue.
Asia is an extremely diverse continent with no two countries that are totally alike. The “Asian values” perspective on human rights, though lacking in certain areas of its argument, was an important challenge to the mainstream views on the human rights discourse that had mainly taken place in Western, “first-world”, industrialized countries. These sort of challenges are what helps move conversations forward and make them more inclusive for all those willing to participate. Discourses that take into account the diverse experiences and opinions help to create solutions that benefit as many individuals as possible. In this case, the idea of Asian values helped the UN and the world to rethink what should be considered most important within the realm of human rights.
