9 The General Framework of Human Rights

It is the recognition that human rights do not stand alone, but are inextricably bound up with the societal environment in which they are designed to operate, which explains why in recent years the focus has been progressively shifted to those external factors which condition the success or the failure of government according to human rights. A short glance at those factors appears therefore necessary as a complement to the specific human rights mechanisms. Democracy may not be a panacea to cure all ills, but it has its origins in the political rights of the...