At worst, the rejectionists allege that the concept of human rights does
not exist in non-Western societies or cultures; at best, they contend that
non-Western notions of human rights are inherently different from the
Western concept and that a blanket application of Western principles to
non-Western conditions is unjustifiable. These arguments have been
used, explicitly or implicitly, to justify even the most blatant human
rights violations that could not be defended on any moral grounds. Sim-
ilar arguments could be used to explain the apparent lack of public sup-
port for human rights and the absence of pressure groups and nongov-
ernmental organizations monitoring and protecting human rights
violations in many third world countries.

That analysis may seem a negative way of making a positive argu-
ment for a cross-culturally sensitive and enriching approach to the con-
ceptualization and promotion of human rights. Put in more positive
terms, we believe every society or culture recognizes certain values,
mores, norms, and operational principles by which it seeks to approxi-
mate the ideals of human dignity as contextually defined or understood.
These may differ from one society or culture to another, and the degree
of success in advancing the cause of human dignity may also vary
greatly. So does the extent to which the system benefits all members of
the community or of the human race, including those who fall outside
the membership of that particular community. Our position is that the
promotion of international standards of human rights not only should
be done with due respect to meritorious cultural values and traditions
of the wide variety of world communities, but would indeed be rein-
forced and strengthened by these diverse standards.

The interplay between local and global standards of human rights is
a dynamic process of give and take, ideally through persuasion and co-
operation rather than through coercion. Insofar as universal standards
reflect the collective conscience and political will of the international
community, they represent a higher order of human aspirations, with a
more effective mechanism for promotion and enforcement. But it is im-
portant to stress that whatever the apparent differences between local
and international standards in this regard, the idea if not the content of
human rights--as claims to which every person is entitled by virtue of
being human--is founded on fundamental values that we believe are
shared by all cultural traditions.

The misconception that the idea of human rights is alien to some
cultural traditions may arise because those cultures do not conceptual-
ize or articulate the values underlying these rights and apply them to all

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