Globalization and Human Rights: Challenges and Answers from a European Perspective

254 Pages·2012·1.867 MB·English

by  Jesús Ballesteros (auth.), Jesús Ballesteros, Encarnación Fernández Ruiz-Gálvez, Pedro Talavera (eds.)

Globalization and Human Rights
IUS GENTIUM
COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON LAW AND JUSTICE
VOLUME13
Series Editors
MortimerN.S.Sellers
UniversityofBaltimore
JamesMaxeiner
UniversityofBaltimore
BoardofEditors
MyroslavaAntonovych,Kyiv-MohylaAcademy
NadiadeArau´jo,PontificalCatholicUniversityofRiodeJaneiro
JasnaBaksLic-Muftic,UniversityofSarajevo
DavidL.CareyMiller,UniversityofAberdeen
LoussiaP.MusseFe´lix,UniversityofBrasilia
EmanuelGross,UniversityofHaifa
JamesE.Hickey,Jr.,HofstraUniversity
JanKlabbers,UniversityofHelsinki
Cla´udiaLimaMarques,FederalUniversityofRioGrandedoSul
AnicetoMasferrer,UniveristyofValencia
EricMillard,WestParisUniversity
Gabrie¨lMoens,MurdochUniversity
RaulC.Pangalangan,UniversityofthePhilippines
RicardoLeitePinto,Lus´ıadaUniversityofLisbon
MizanurRahman,UniversityofDhaka
KeitaSato,ChuoUniversity
PoonamSaxena,UniversityofDelhi
GerrySimpson,LondonSchoolofEconomics
EduardSomers,UniversityofGhent
XinqiangSun,ShandongUniversity
TadeuszTomaszewski,WarsawUniversity
JaapdeZwaan,ErasmusUniversityRotterdam
Forfurthervolumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/7888
Jesu´s Ballesteros
Encarnacio´n Ferna´ndez Ruiz-Ga´lvez
Pedro Talavera
Editors
Globalization and Human
Rights
Challenges and Answers from a European
Perspective
123
Editors
Jesu´sBallesteros Encarnacio´nFerna´ndezRuiz-Ga´lvez
PhilosophyofLaw PhilosophyofLaw
UniversityofValencia UniversityofValencia
CampusTarongers Valencia,Spain
EdificioDepartamentalCentral
Avda.deLosNaranjosS/N
Valencia,Spain
PedroTalavera
PhilosophyofLaw
UniversityofValencia
Valencia,Spain
ISBN978-94-007-4019-8 ISBN978-94-007-4020-4(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-94-007-4020-4
SpringerDordrechtHeidelbergNewYorkLondon
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Preface
The book is the result of a research project by the Spanish Ministry of Science
andEducation(2007–2010),aswellasaPrometeoprojectforgroupsofexcellence
bytheGeneralitatValencianaon“Humanrights,sustainabilityandpeace”(2010–
2013).
The different chapters of the book have been in turn presented and discussed
withintheframeworkoftwointernationalconferences.Thefirstcalled“Globalisa-
tionandinternationaljustice”washeldattheUIMP(Valencia)inJuly2007.Along
with the authors of the book, researchers from the universities of Corun˜a, Padua,
“TorVergata”Rome,andtheInternationalInstituteofHumanRightsinStrasbourg
tookpart.
The second of these international seminars was held in Javea Forum, in
November 2007. The theme was Global Justice and, along with seven of the
book’sauthors,renownedjurists(universityprofessorsandmagistrates)fromSpain
andNorthAfrica:MoroccoandTunisia,tookpart.Theseminarwasaimedatyoung
jurists from the Euro-Mediterraneanarea (one hundred young jurists from Spain,
Italy,Israel,Jordan,Libya,MoroccoandTunisia).
Some of the abstracts were also discussed at other universities: in Corun˜a
(Spain), at the “International Seminar on the Philosophy of Law: Globalisation,
Law, Conflict” (March, 2010), organised by Prof. Pedro Serna, and at Teramo
(Italy)inNovember2010on“ThesignofCain.Contemporarydimensionsofbellic
violence”organisedbyProf.GuidoSaraceni.
Likewise,thecontentofsomechaptersarespeecheswhichhavebeendiscussed
withintheframeworkofthe“InternationalSeminar:Whatfutureaftertheeconomic
recession and the Arab Spring?” (May, 2011) organised by the Master in Human
Rights,PeaceandSustainableDevelopmentCourse,DepartmentofthePhilosophy
ofLaw,MoralsandPoliticsoftheUniversityofValencia,inwhichresearchersfrom
PRIO, IECAH and the universitiesofNavarraand LuissGuidoCarli, Rome, took
partalongwiththeauthorsofthebook.
The publicationof thisbookwouldnothavebeen possiblewithoutthe support
ofProfessorAnicetoMasferrer,towhomwewishtoexpressourgratitude.
v

Introduction
Thebookanalysessomeofthecurrentthreatstohumanrights,aswellastopeace
and development, posing them in relation to globalisation, and underlines their
avoidable nature, for which a change of paradigm is becoming more and more
necessary.
Within the complexity of the globalisation phenomenon, both positive and
negative aspects may be distinguished. Among the former, the advances brought
about by ICTs as regards facilitating worldwide communication are noteworthy.
In this sense, the role played by social networks is significant in the recent
protests and demonstrations in Arab countries which have meant hope for the
recoveryof the liberty and dignity of their people. On the other hand, the way in
which globalizationis actually comingaboutseems to be intimately connectedto
economism. This means a perversion of the economy into chrematistics and has
madethepredominationacquiredbycapitaloverotherproductionfactors,suchas
humannatureandhumanwork,possible.
Thispredominationoffinanceshashad,andcontinuestohave,diverseworrying
aspects, and implies risks for human rights in as much as it hides what is real,
duetotheprecedenceofauto-referentialspeculation–whichalsoreliesonopaque
financial instruments – over the true economy (productionof goodsand services)
andoverpolitics(suchascooperationforthecommongood).
The current economic recession is precisely due to this exorbitant growth of
financesandalsototheirresponsibilitythatpermanentgrowthmeansfordebt,both
on behalf of public institutions and companies and families, due to the covering
up of debt, under the appearance of credit. In the first case, the debt came from
unsustainablemilitaryexpensesstretchingfromtheVietnamwaruptotheinvasions
of Afghanistan and Iraq; in the second situation, to consumerism linked to a
perception of the human being subjected to a desire of wealth and pleasure, fruit
ofthemanipulationofmarketingandalackofpersonalreflection.Thisrealityscam
isconnectedwithpost-structuralideas,wherethepossibilityofrealreferences,with
senseandtranscendence,isdenied,andwhereeverythingcomesdowntoagameof
signifiers(Chap.1).
vii
viii Introduction
This hiding of reality has negative effects for the protection of human rights.
Fromthese,twoparadigmaticsituationsareanalysedinthefirstpartofthebook.
The first consists of the voluntary and culpable hiding from its respective con-
tributorysystemsfromwhichtheyrecurtotaxhavenstopracticethemostgenuine
mode of exploitation: benefitting from social cooperation without participating in
itsresponsibilities.Itis,therefore,afalsenon-participation,acaseofcriminalself-
marginalisation.Non-transparentfinancial systems, tax havens, must be regulated
and controlled urgently, given that their very existence means the most radical
negationofdistributivejustice(Chap.2).
Theothersituationistheexclusion,againsttheirwill,ofpeoplewithdisabilities,
who are the objectof discriminationby those unaware of the differingabilitiesof
others. In this case, it is the opposite of non-participation,for which society as a
group is responsible. We have here a case of intolerable hetero-marginalisation,
which impedes the recognition of the difference of disabled people as being
compatible with equality of rights to make a truly inclusive society possible
(Chap.3).
Thehumanrightsaffectedinallofthesesituationsarefundamentallytherightto
work,toahome,toparticipationand,attimes–suchasduringthepresentrecession,
eventherighttofood.Economicglobalisationhasprovokedthereturnofextreme
povertytonorthernhemispherecountriesandhasgeneratedseriousenvironmental
consequences (destruction of non-renewable resources and the creation of non-
recyclableresidues).
The second part of the book deals with even more serious affronts to human
rights: wars and the povertyassociated with them that is the cause of the greatest
number of avoidable deaths in the world. Here, what is directly threatened is the
righttolifeandhealth,duetoalackofdrinkingwater,foodandmedicines.These
are threats due not to devaluation of politics and economies, but to their total
disappearance in the face of violence. It is what is known as Failed States. Of
them, there are two particularly significant examples: Afghanistan (Chap. 4) and
Somalia(Chap.5),bothwith warsthathavelasted forthe pastthreedecades,and
withdevastatingfamines.SomaliaisfirstintheForeignPolicylistofFailedStates
of 2010 and Afghanistan is number six, but both appear in first place as regards
delegitimisationoftheState.
Reflection on both experiences is useful for illuminating problems of great
relevance to the current debate on human rights in the context of international
relationships. The problem of global-local conflicts, with irrefutable global im-
plications (think of the link between the current conflict in Afghanistan with the
self-named “War on Terrorism”, or the international repercussions of the actions
ofSomalipirates),butthedevastatingeffectswhichdevelopandaresufferedona
localscale,mainlybythecivilpopulationofthecountry(andthisissomethingthat
isoftenignoredand/orhidden).Thedebateabouttheresponsibilitytoprotect,the
tensionbetweenhumanitarianinterventionandnationalsovereignty,justwar,along
withthemostefficientwaystofightunder-developmentandpoverty:fairtradeand
cooperationfordevelopment.Theneedtoreturntoanatmosphereofpoliticsinthe
mostnoblesenseofthewordtoovercomeviolencebymeansofcommunicationas
Introduction ix
anindispensableconditionforthesecuringandconsolidationofpeaceandtomake
effectiverespectforhumanrightspossible.
Thisleadsto the studyofthe currentsituation ofthe humanrightin continuity
with the classic ius gentium and analyses its relationships with the ius in bello, –
whichdeclaresallwarillegalwherethereisdeathofnon-warringpeople.Outlining
justcausesofwarin thepresentday,takingintoaccountthe difficultiesofhaving
effectivehumanrightsintimesofwar,necessitatestakingafreshlookattheproblem
ofhumanitarianrights.Thisisconnectedtothepracticeofhumanrights,thatassists
humanbeingsinconditionsofspecialvulnerability(Chap.6).
Theconclusionsofthesechaptershighlighttheavoidablenatureofthesethreats,
and therefore, the moral and legal urgency to fight against them. A change
of paradigm is urged therefore, based on productive economy, compatible with
ecologicalsustainabilityandwithaccesstoallresources,alongwiththeprecedence
ofpoliticsasacapacityforcarryingoutactivitiestogetherunderthesupremacyof
thelaw.
In the third part, the European Union is presented as the geopolitcal area that
ismostrespectfulofhumanrightsandasa possiblemodelforthe organisationof
otherareas,duetoitsawarenessoftheavoidabilityofsocialevils,invirtueofthree
fundamentalmotives.
In the first place, the analysis of the role of public opinion in the European
Union highlights the importance of the same to a market society. This is due
to the clearly non-economist project of the founding fathers, which holds the
recognition of values such as human dignity, life and liberty as non-negotiable
highervalues,as such placed aboveeconomicinterestsand, therefore,susceptible
onlytomediationbutnotnegotiation;thevalueofpluralisminsocietyandthepublic
roleofreligionswithinthat,asareasthatuncoveraspectsofthehumanbeingthat
escapegovernmentalmorals,suchassuffering,fragility,vulnerabilityandsolidarity
itself.ThepluralismthatisattherootoftheEuropeanUnionshouldnotbeconfused
withrelativismbutshouldbeinterpretedasanopeningfordialogueandintercultural
exchange,whichdoesnotatallexcludethesearchforpracticaltruth.Ontheother
hand,thenon-economismoftheEuropeanUnionisunitedwiththeimportanceof
politics and States. “Europe cannot be a Europe of the citizens if it is not first a
Europeofthetowns,anditcannotbeaEuropeofthetownsifnotasEuropeofthe
States”(Chap.7).
Inthesecondplace,Europeischaracterisedbyitslong-termdefenceofasocial
StateofLaw,whichcannotbeconfusedwithfinancialcapitalism.Itistruethatthere
havebeenhiccupsintheprocess,suchaswiththeMaastrichtTreaty,buttheLisbon
Treatyinsistsonasocialmarketeconomy(art.3/3)thatisbasedontheprecedence
of the productive sector over the financial one and on maintaining economic and
socialrights(Chap.8).
In third place, the European Union is presented to the world as a “peace
project”. From its birth, founded on the reconciliation of the main participants in
theSecondWorldWar,throughtheTreatyofRomeandtheEconomicCommunity,
the “European project” has always been motivated by the search for peace as a
priority.Andthatgreat(economicalandpolitical)projectstemsfromtheconviction