When forced to choose, a just government . . . (see text for full resolution)

Resolved: When forced to choose, a just government ought to prioritize universal human rights over its national interest. All year, I kept saying that I'd get back into debating during the summer, when I had more time. Well now it's summer. I'm busier than I thought I'd be. But I think I owe it to myself to do a debate. This resolution is one of the potential resolutions for LD in 2010-2011. Resolved: When forced to choose, a just government ought to prioritize universal human rights over its national interest. ======== Introduction More than at any other point in history, people today are able to see that all men and women are truly created equal. Racism, although it wouldn't be fair to say that it has been completely eliminated, is universally understood to be inhumane -- that was untrue even just fifty years ago. Today, we more than ever understand that other people deserve respect and kindness, even if they look different from us. This is why I support the resolution: when forced to choose, a just government ought to prioritize universal human rights over its national interest. ======== Definitions (from American Heritage Dictionary) just government: A government that is honorable, fair, and consistent with what is morally right in its dealings and actions. human rights: The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law. Not all terms that are obviously important have been defined. If I haven't defined something, it is because I think the definition is already unambiguous. If my opponent wishes to define further terms or to challenge one of my definitions, I am not opposed to this. ======== Contention 1: The Injustice of National Interest As I hinted at in my introduction, putting national interest as the top priority is a vestige from an earlier time. It was a time when racism and xenophobia were the norm. A time when like-minded people of one's own country were considered more valuable than the "brutes" in Germany (http://www.learnnc.org...) or the disgusting, inhuman Japanese (http://en.wikipedia.org...). At a time when dehumanizing outsiders was in vogue, national interest was indeed very important. In order to dehumanize the enemy, our own countries were deified. Thankfully, we are no longer living in such a time. Citizens of a free country have the power to look past the propaganda and see that everyone, everywhere in the world, deserves the same basic human rights. ======== Contention 2: The Importance of Universal Human Rights No rational person would deny the importance of universal human rights. It is agreed among all civilized peoples that we have certain unalienable rights; among the most paramount are the right to life (for someone to murder one of us would be a great injustice), the right to liberty (restriction and imprisonment without just cause), and the right to free speech. One of the greatest tragedies in this world is that these rights are not always respected. Natives in Nigeria are being driven out of their land in the name of war; citizens of China are not permitted simple freedom of speech; people around the world are unable to find enough food to survive. A just government has the duty to ensure that these universal human rights do become truly universal. Allow me to use the United States' founding documents as an example. The Declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." It states not that all Americans are endowed with certain unalienable rights, but all MEN. If that's not a declaration of universal human rights, then I don't know what is. The Founding Fathers understood that every human being is created with unalienable rights. In order to keep these rights safe, it is the duty of a just government to protect them -- this should be a top priority. ======== Conclusion National interest is ONLY relevant in terms of the needs of humanity as a whole. If basic human rights are not afforded to each and every man, woman and child, it is the duty of the world's free nations to give aid to these people. To do so would be to allow suffering to flourish and continue rampantly throughout the world. Guaranteeing universal human rights is the first priority of any just nation.