I diritti umani: incubo e nobile sogno

In an article commenting on a 1993 world conference, as Elena Pariotti notes, Susan Marks writes that human rights are both a nightmare and a noble dream. A noble dream, because they promise to counter threats to human dignity, but a nightmare, because they have nothing concrete to offer in the most desperate situations. There seems to be a dark side to the law that sums up the serious inadequacy of human rights which, in practice, really fail to come to fruition for the very people who would need them most. As of today, in fact, the scenario of a widening war on multiple fronts is des-troying the lives and dignity of so many people and the stability of several states. In this context, the interventions of the superpowers, which have little to do with an attempt to repristinate respect for human rights, are in fact a dangerous threat that can detonate a third world conflict, as is claimed and feared by ma-ny. Dealing with such a complex and dis-turbing situation requires an immediate and balanced approach by the power-holders of the various governments that give due consideration to peoples' rights and concerns, while seeking inclusive and collaborative legal solutions at the global community level.