Open Access Research Article

THE WEAPONISATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT AND GLOBAL POLITICAL HEGEMONY

Author(s):
AARYA NIGAM SHAURYA CHAUHAN
Journal IJLRA
ISSN 2582-6433
Access Open Access
Volume 3
Issue 7
Download PDF Open PDF Citation Search Scholar

Abstract

Human rights were conceived after 1945 as universal norms binding on every state alike. In practice, however, the invocation and enforcement of those norms follow the contours of geopolitical power more closely than the gravity of the violations they address. This paper examines how powerful states and the institutions they dominate deploy human rights as instruments of foreign policy, a phenomenon described here as the weaponisation of human rights. It identifies three channels of selective enforcement: armed intervention on humanitarian grounds, unilateral sanctions and conditionality, and the uneven functioning of multilateral bodies, namely the Security Council, the Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court. It further argues that instrumentalisation is not a Western monopoly, since Russia and China also invoke rights language strategically. The paper then reviews India’s position, considers the strongest counter-arguments, and recommends reforms aimed at restoring the credibility of human rights as a genuinely universal project.

Published Paper

PDF Preview
Download Open

Author Details

Authors: AARYA NIGAM & SHAURYA CHAUHANRegistration ID: 1013372 | Published Paper ID: IJLRA13372 & IJLRA13373Year: Oct-2026 | Volume: 3 | Issue: 7Approved ISSN: 2582-6433 | Country: Delhi, IndiaPage No.: 1227- 1242

Article Information

THE WEAPONISATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT AND GLOBAL POLITICAL HEGEMONY

Authors: AARYA NIGAM, SHAURYA CHAUHAN

  • Journal IJLRA
  • ISSN 2582-6433
  • Volume 3
  • Issue 7
Citation Download Paper Full Details Search on Google Search on Google Scholar

About Journal

International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis

  • AbbreviationIJLRA
  • ISSN2582-6433
  • AccessOpen Access
  • LicenseCC 4.0

All research articles published in International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis are open access and available to read, download and share, subject to proper citation of the original work.

Creative Commons

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis.

Current Issue

Ethics and Policy

For Authors