Editorial
| DOI | 10.1177/016934419000800401 |
| Author | Jacqueline Smith,Peter Baehr,Leo Zwaak |
| Published date | 01 December 1990 |
| Date | 01 December 1990 |
| Subject Matter | Editorial |
Table
of
Contents
EDITORIAL
In 1990 the Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights focused on political
changes in Europe. One might say that these changes, notwithstanding their
serious economic, social and political implications, led to a considerable
improvement of the human rights situation in several Central and Eastern
European countries. Hungary became the 24th member of the Council of
Europe and signed the European Convention on Human Rights and all of
its additional Protocols. Poland has had its first free elections since World
War II
and
is now just as Czechoslovakia in the process of becoming
member of the Council of Europe. Meanwhile, the human rights situation
in Rumania and Albania remains serious. And Yugoslavia and the Soviet
Union, which are internally divided, still have a long way to go. However,
by the signing of the "Charter of Paris for a New
Europe"on
21 November
1990, a new
era
between East and West has started. Nontheless it should
be
borne
in mind that we are still facing a complicated process. The
changes are in
status
nascendi.
While
there
are
reasons for optimism regarding the developments in
Europe, the same cannot be said of others parts of the World. The
situationin the Middle East following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces
may still escalate; and Israel remains faced with the desperate situation of
the Palestinian people, who use all means, including violent ones, to draw
the attention of the rest of the world to their struggle of independence. In
Africa, although the release of Nelson Mandela by the South African
Governmentgives reason for hope and optimism,
apartheid
is so interwoven
into the system that its total abolition will take more time and more far-
reaching initiatives on the part of the South African Government. It is to
be hoped that the year 1991 will mark the beginning of a decade in which
the nations of the world will solve their problems within the framework of
the United Nations or regional organizations that can provide the tools for
the peaceful settlement of conflicts.
In this issue, under Human Rights News, Dr. Arie Bloed gives an overview
of the CSCE Paris Summit of Novenber 1990, particularly in regard to the
Human
Dimension of the CSCE. David Gillies examines the role of the
Canadian Centre for International Human Rights and Democratic
Development, and gives a critical assessment of the role of this institute and
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