UNIVERSAL RIGHTS ARE NOT FOR ALL: PARADOX OF MODERN HUMANITARIAN DISCOURSE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of contradictions of modern humanitarian discourse conceptualizing the universal status of political rights and freedoms, as well as the associated universal human identity in the international political dimension. Applying the poststructuralist approach to the analysis of political practices, the author demonstrates that modern humanism, claiming the universalist status, nevertheless, contributes to the construction of communities of “friends” and “enemies”. It is this contradiction that allows the use of humanitarian discourse in securitization practices, as well as the legitimization of violence and emergency measures.

Keywords

• humanitarian discourse
• human rights
• identity
• securitization
• state of emergency.