Human rights, democracy and ‘Asian values’

Abstract

There is a widespread belief, both in Asia and in the West, that an ‘Asian challenge’ to the idea of universal human rights on the basis of ‘Asian values’ has become an important force in international relations. However, the nature of this challenge and even its very existence are subject to much confusion. The principal source of this confusion is the lack of consensus among Asians about the character of Asian values and how they are related to human rights and democracy. Analysis of concepts such as ‘Asia’ and ‘the West’ shows that each refers to a complex cultural reality. Almost all those values said to be ‘Asian’ are similar to conservative Western values, and all the questions about the relations between human rights and other values that have been said to arise from the distinct nature of Asian cultures have been, and are still being, debated in the West. Human rights are general principles that have to be interpreted in the light of the world's diverse cultures. The most important question is who should be permitted to participate in this process of interpretation. In direct opposition to the common claim that the ideas of human rights and democracy represent a form of Western ‘cultural imperialism’, it is argued that only democratic procedures and the protection of fundamental human rights can ensure that the development strategies of Asian states conform to the values of Asian people. It is suggested that the debate about supposed Asian and Western values rests on false premises about the nature of values, and that a ‘cosmopolitan’ approach, that recognizes both the genuine cultural diversity and the interdependence of peoples in the contemporary world, is more likely to promote the legitimate aims of economic, social and political development.

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