"Human rights—the notion that the protection of the immutable rights and freedoms of every individual on the planet supersedes all other concerns—did not always enjoy this prominent place in our political debate. Most historians have located the ideology's origins in previous eras, from the ancient Greeks and Hebrews to the Enlightenment to post-World War II. In his erudite new book, The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History, Samuel Moyn proposes a more recent source. He argues that it was only in the 1970s, when other utopian ideologies—socialism, anti-colonialism, and anti-communism—fell by the wayside that human rights assumed its stature as the ultimate moral arbiter of international conduct." - M F from Bookmarklet

I don't know when it began but I know when I began to see it at work. That was in the late sixties and early seventies. Seems like it has now become only history once again. What a shame. - Charlie Barone

Another can of worms. I am aware that what might appear as an agenda promoting human rights from our perspective can also be seen as imperialistic interference from another perspective. Especially given our bad record of invading other countries to impose democracy and our values. Human rights should go hand in hand with self determination but that is often forgotten. - M F