Abstract
In reassessing the evolution of the post-1945 human rights movement, the paper identifies three “waves” or genres of human rights, generally representing the divisions between the Western and non-Western nations on the subject. A number of serious problems are raised, such as “double standards” maintained by some countries concerning human rights. This is followed by an evaluation of the possible clash between two perspectives: (a) the Third World's advocacy of such collective economic rights as a developing nation's right to sustained development (with its attendant demand that the West has to pay for its past colonization); and (b) the West's obstinancy regarding the individuals' rights to be asserted against their governments. In the age of intensified complex interdependence, a growing feature is the interpenetration of the economies of nations. That by necessity makes the migrant workers an “interface” between rich and poor economies. As economic interdependence deepens, both labor-importing and labor-sending countries have common stakes in the protection of the migrant workers.
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