The Controversy of Human Rights Challenges (Essay Sample)

Human Rights Challenges
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Referencing Style: APA / Word Count: 608
Human Rights Challenges
Stephen Hopgood (2014) claims that human rights can no longer be considered to be the effective language to spearhead social change. The world is experiencing a changing narrative in terms of who is regard to be human and how people can be treated in a legitimate way. Besides, the globe is facing a reality check concerning the human rights issue because institutions responsible for addressing the problem have changed beyond recognition. The failure of human rights to be a language of social change is attributed to three major reasons. The reasons consist of the emergence of new powers, human rights politicization, and unfavourable religious beliefs.
To start with, the world is witnessing the emergence of new superpowers and the fall of Western countries that dominated the world in matters to do with human rights. Human rights took the global center stage in the 1970s when the United States was the reigning superpower. The United States supported human rights with unprecedented innovation in institutions and human rights law. However, the United States is currently on the decline, prompting the emergence of new superpowers, including China. China has hidden motives in its move to help achieve human rights. The emergence of new superpowers, therefore, is a threat to human rights.