The Chinese Confucian System

Zewei’s Article 

This article delves into the Chinese Confucian system which failed to fit within the international standards of the European worldview. Zewei (2011) begins by discussing the relationship between the Confucian world order and the systems on which it was founded, including the Celestial Empire of China and the Tributary System. The author then focuses on the conflict that occurred between the Confucian worldview and the modern international law with regard to international relations, world order, treaties, and foreign commercial endeavors. Zewei (2011) further discusses the integration of modern international law and Confucianism where the latter had to compromise amidst coercion from the Western powers. The articles thesis is that threat from the Western powers led the Qing government to compromising the international law which resulted to an end of Confucianism and the eventual learning, acceptance, and application of the international law by the Chinese officials and scholars. The conclusion is that China’s acceptance of the international law was a necessary move in aiding modernization. The compromise was, however, not voluntary but an outcome of the Western coercion. 

Main Ideas in Steinberg’s article 

The idea of utilizing “soft power” to reach a specific goal, particularly in addressing human rights and the issues related with the same is addressed. NGOs use soft power to drive their agenda and have managed to win the credibility of many, including the journalists, international diplomats, academics, and opinion leaders without necessarily having to appoint a panel for the verification of the information they present. The credibility of NGO is founded not only on the use of soft power but also the moral claims they reinforce in every kind of endeavor. Their influence is further strengthened by the emphasis on human rights and the extent to which they seek international allies to pressurize the government to act as per the laws of the land. Steinberg (n.d.) calls this problematic credibility as the perception of objectivity and morality tend to overcome the need for scrutiny and this may yield the lack of accountability and the competencies needed in various endeavors for which NGOs are entrusted. This has yielded the abuse of power within NGOs with some of these organizations devising symbolic victims and assuming the responsibility of the altruistic rescuer. The advancement of technology and the internet has boosted the utilization of soft power by NGOs with their influence resulting to optimal funding which enable them to drive specific policies, some of which act to serve their interests rather than the interests of any specific nation. 

Cragg, Arnold and Muchlinski 

“ Business and human rights” became an international topic in the 1980s, The first initiative entailed the documentation of a draft of the UN Code of Conduct on transnational corporations. Despite this UN initiative, academicians delved into the topic in the 1990s. A major reason for the delay is that the protection, advancement, and respect enhancement for human rights was solely the responsibility of the state. With globalization, however, doubts arose as to whether it was appropriate to have the protection of human rights resting with the government. Amnesty International was the first NGO to challenge the government’s capacity and willingness to fulfill responsibilities in alignment with the human rights’ prerequisites. The Nigerian government executed nine individuals in November 1995 and this necessitated the involvement of multinational corporations and industry associations in demanding accountability for human rights abuses. A UN Subcommission engaged in a study of business and human rights in 1998 and submitted a report in 2003. The report entailed a proposal to integrate the humanitarian law, international human rights law, environmental law, international labor law, and anticorruption law in dealing with human rights abuses of transnational companies and other business entities. 

References 

Cragg, W., Arnold, D. G. & Muchlinski, P. (2012). Guest editors’ introduction: Human rights and business. Business Ethics Quarterly, 22 (1), 1-7. 

Steinberg, G. M. (n.d.). The politics of NGOs, human rights and the Arab-Israel conflict. Israel Studies, 16 (2) 

Zewei, Y. (2011). Western international law and China’s Confucianism in the 19 th century: Collision and integration. Journal of the History of International Law, 13, 285-306.