At the Heart of Humanity

In the 20th century, the right to freedom, independence and to decide one’s own destiny was seen primarily through the eyes of the modern State as the principle actor in world politics. In the State dominated world that emerged from the anti-colonial imperative, the right to freedom and political justice was developed within a strong legal framework. This framework usurped people’s humanizing values and formed a narrowly defined standard associated with processes of State-building. While self-determination was central to the United Nations’ foundation on which friendly relations could be developed, in reality, the contradiction was that any people’s struggle for self-determination was perceived as a threat to fragment an existing State by creating a new one. 

In the process, the issues of peoples’ aspiration were left to real politik; and the UN’s inability to promote and implement the right of self-determination for all people has undermined its credibility and constricted its ability to contribute to world peace. With the end of the Cold War when the State no longer occupied center stage in world politics, there was growing speculation that the relevance of peoples’ sovereignty and self-determination would diminish. However, the post-Cold War era has soundly proved such speculation to be erroneous since there have been numerous instances where people have successfully exercised their self-determination. This affirms the view that in the present era self-determination is associated with the ideals and values of human rights and democracy and is no longer equated exclusively with ‘secession.’

In a world that is increasingly becoming aware of the need to place humanity at the center of world affairs, the concept of peoples requires transcending State boundaries. When peoples are placed at the center of the humanizing process, the praxis of freedom and justice is capable of embracing shared interpretations and contextual applications that are consistent with the dynamics of an interdependent world. In such an interdependent world where the quality of peoples’ lives and human security are fundamental to decreasing violence and increasing justice, the ability to decide your own destiny is even more essential to an evolving shared humanity. By recovering its ideals as a revolutionary and a basic humanizing need, self-determination renews its relevancy in humanity. 

The right to freedom and justice need not be viewed as a threat to governments, since no government should fear the peoples’ will and their right to determine what it means to live humanly. Hence, a peoples’ desire to decide their own destiny is not just an end, but a means. It is an aspiration that is not limited to a static political goal; but as a continuing process towards realizing aspirations through transformative approaches that touch upon the many different facets of human life. A peoples’ aspiration to determine their own destiny evolves through encounters with various influences and possibilities, which results in creating the new. It implies that the aspirations will reflect the people’s present day needs which are essential in the humanizing process that is perpetually transforming.



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