Friday, November 1, 2013

Israel Agrees to U.N. Human Rights Review

October 28, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/world/middleeast/israel-agrees-to-un-human-rights-review.html?_r=0
By Nick Cumming Bruce


Perhaps there is yet hope... not for the human race but for the international system that structurally incentives certain actions which in this case includes Israel submitting to a human rights review. The fact that diplomatic pressure has caused Israel to submit is very encouraging because it suggests that collectively we can create the conditions for good behavior even if individually we are only acting in our own self interest. It also brings hope to liberal theorists of international politics because it suggests that multinational institutions like the united nations can settle the anarchic nature of our international system and truly act as a policing force. The often say that the international system is self-help so if you are powerful you can do what you want and if you are weak you suffer what you must. However, in this case, at least in part, we see hope that there is an egalitarian force at work. If the United Nations is able to conduct this review and act on it we see the potential for other powerful countries to be subject to the international laws they have so long evaded.

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