International Humanitarian Law Commons^™

Universal Human Rights And Threat To International Peace And Security: The United Nations' Obligation To Intervene, Godfrey Mhlanga

LLM Theses and Essays

This thesis seeks to establish the following:

• The nexus between the origins of the state and the universality of Human Rights
• That abuse of Human Rights is a threat to international peace and security, and
• It is an obligation for the international community under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) to intervene in the ‘internal affairs’ of a state which violates Human Rights.

The paper focuses on the paramountcy of Human Rights and argues that the doctrine of state sovereignty and cultural relativism undercut the essence and universality of Human Rights. The paper puts into perspective the interpretation of …