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Developing Human RightsAuthor(s): Mary RobinsonSource: Foreign Policy, No. 144 (Sep. - Oct., 2004), pp. 13-14Published by: Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive, LLCStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4152966 .

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Downing Street and that sharia, the rule of the Koran, will be the law of the West.

-AARON ELIAS Fellow

Mir Yeshiva (Institute for Advanced Talmudic Studies)

Jerusalem, Israel

Jason Burke Replies: Aaron Elias is right to point out that "various Islamic radicals" dream of a world where Islamic rule is prac- ticed everywhere. Joseph Vignos is also correct in noting that many Muslims raised in the hard-line tra- dition of the Arabian Gulf-a per- spective that is increasingly prevalent as a result of official Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti policy-believe it is their duty to work toward estab- lishing Islam as a global religion. Yet the idea of God's rule on Earth is common to most religious dis- courses, particularly those that pros- elytize. Yet, however desirable, it is rarely seen as a practical possibility even by extremists.

The overwhelming majority of militants' statements relate to far more concrete aims. They see short-term political objectives, such as ridding the Arabian Penin- sula of "infidel" soldiers, as attain- able within decades. By contrast, they recognize that longer-term objectives, such as restoring Islamic rule over the "natural" extent of the Islamic world, are not achiev- able for some time, if at all. (The "natural" extent of the Islamic world is generally defined as the territory that was, at least nomi- nally, Muslim around 1,000 years ago.) So Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin Laden's spiritual mentor and one of the key influences on mod- ern Jihadi Salafi activism, called for the restoration of Muslim rule in al-Andalus (Andalusia), but not in the rest of Spain, which he did not perceive as land that rightfully belonged to any Muslim state.

The key point is that the mili- tants' worldview, and the attrac- tion of their ideology to many in the Islamic world, is rooted in the perception that their religion, soci- ety, culture, and even language is under attack from a belligerent West. The tragedy of the situation we find ourselves in today is that both sides believe themselves to be threatened by the aggression of the other.

Developing Human Rights The second annual Commitment to Development Index by the Cen- ter for Global Development (CGD) and FOREIGN POLICY ("Ranking the Rich," May/June 2004) is a wel- come initiative. It rightly points out that the world's poor countries are ultimately responsible for their own development, while highlighting

how the policies of rich nations help or hinder their social and eco- nomic progress. In several respects, however, the index lets rich coun- tries off too easily, because it does not hold them accountable for the promises they have already made.

Through the 2002 Monterrey Consensus and the U.N. Millenni- um Development Goals, for exam- ple, rich countries have made spe- cific commitments to increase development assistance substan- tially. To date, however, actual lev- els of support have not matched these promises. The World Trade Organization's Doha Development Round pledged to "make trade work for developing countries," yet agricultural subsidies in rich coun- tries remain in place.

Nor does the index consider the responsibilities that rich coun- tries have toward poor countries under international human rights law. Of the 21 countries ranked in

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Letters ]

the index, all but one (the United

States) have ratified the Interna- tional Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This

pact commits member states to "take steps, individually and

through international assistance and cooperation" to achieve pro- gressively the realization of fun- damental rights to the highest attainable standards of health, adequate food, and education, among others.

It is time to insist that states fulfill their international human

rights obligations. General pledges to international assistance, such as those affirmed in international human rights treaties, will need to be interpreted in specific cases over time. But it is already clear that in most areas of policy, rich and powerful states and other out- side actors are currently doing too

little to help those most in need.

Just as important, richer states are not changing their own policies that damage the economic and social rights of people in other countries. They are failing to undo harm for which they are directly or indirectly responsible.

-MARY ROBINSON Executive Director

Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1997-2002

New York, N.Y

Tunisia's Virtual Terrorists In "Caught in the Net: Tunisia"

(July/August 2004), FOREIGN POLICY reported that a group of Tunisians had been sent to prison for "downloading files from the Internet" and alleged that "the

only evidence against the Tunisians was a few Internet files."

The group of individuals to whom the story referred were sen- tenced on April 6, 2004, after a Tunisian court found them guilty of a number of serious charges stemming from their involvement in terrorist activities. This group had sought to establish links with a terrorist organization and were

preparing to attack a primary school and various state institu- tions using explosives. They had also attempted to smuggle weapons into the country. Docu- ments found in their possession included instructions for the man- ufacture and use of explosives, det-

onators, timers, and other

weapons, as well as gun silencers and various munitions.

It is disappointing that this evi- dence was not presented to the

reader, and it is unfortunate that this one-sided story appeared in such a reputable publication.

Tunisia's record of promoting Internet use and access is avail- able to anyone who takes the time to look it up. Such a record is

proof that Tunisia is committed to guaranteeing open and easy access to this modern, essential tool.

-TAOUFIK CHEBBI Counselor

Tunisian Embassy Washington, D.C.

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