Jan 21, 2009

Are Western Values Fading to Cultural Relativism?


UNPO attends a thought provoking talk hosted by the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung fur die Frieheit entitled ‘The Shift of Power from West to East’; an attempt to address and challenge how emerging powers and global trends are influencing the Western world’s ability to consolidate its values.

(Thursday 15 January 2009, Brussels) - “Who runs or owns the world today?” began guest speaker Mr. Rolf Timans, Directorate-General of External Relations for the European Commission and head of unit for Human rights and democratisation.  A most poignant question as all present were provoked to thinking about those phenomenons which are influencing the distribution of power, and more importantly for the talk, the faltering power of the European Union (EU).

Mr. Timans practised caution when reflecting on the topic, believing the title to have been inaccurate since the shift for him is more from South to North. Furthermore, “Western values” can be better encapsulated as “universal values”; universal standards of human rights formed the platform of Mr. Timans’ speech as he outlined cultural relativism, religion, individual and social actions as key arguments which the West would need to confront if hoping to encourage universal human rights.

Cultural relativism was acknowledged by Mr. Timans as influencing the way nations perceive and prioritise human rights. Religion was also considered a hindrance to the application of human rights, specifically when looking at the laws of Saudi Arabia as a poignant example. The distinction between the individual versus the prerogative of societies and attitudes which guide them is a division that needs to be addressed, should universal human rights hope to be maintained.

It was the mention of the challenges which the West faces internally which evoked an air of self reflection and personal critique from those present. Mr. Timans exposed how policy making schemes taken by the West often favour stability above innovation; “We are too rushed to opt for stability, which is often short term, versus conflict resolution” highlighted Mr. Timans.

A murmuring crowd was silenced by the voice of Prof. Dr. Reinhard Bettzuege, Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. Mr. Bettzuege believes those present and the wider Westerns world to be delusional if it is to believe there is a shift from South to North. This allegation hides the true weakening of the West in asserting itself; “such as with Russia; they are pushing us and we allow it because we need their gas” said Mr. Bettzuege.

Double standards were declared the greatest hazard of the EU to date. Characteristic of which was the manner in which the EU refrained from reprimanding Israeli warfare, or the failure to put enough pressure on the international community’s decision to grant Kosova or Abkhazia legitimate sovereign status. The EU’s trend of inaction when it is most needed, or its persistent attempts to generalise its values, were coined by Mr. Timans’s to be the most convincing reasons to why the EU’s influence on the global stage is dwindling, vis-à-vis allegations of there being a shift of power from the West to the East.

“The rest of the world (specifically the People’s Republic of China) does not like to be told what to do; the colonial and supremacist history of the West is not forgotten” proclaimed Dr. Paul Lim from the European Institute for Asian Studies. A change is long overdue, but what is becoming clearer, is how the change needs to stem from within Western attitudes of the world.

For Mr. Timans, the EU’s priority should be to show a greater openness for diverse cultures, and strengthening of human rights under a universal framework of defending human dignity.

“I support the notion said by Richard Haass [President, Council on Foreign Relations]; we live in an age of non-polarity” declared second guest speaker Mr. Wolf Poulet, the managing director of International Governance Consulting (IGC) in Berlin. The culmination of large superpowers, regional powers, media, militia and churches prompted Mr. Poulet’s statement as they are seen to all posses a measure of influence in global politics. “Human rights are important, but they are not a priority for all” said Mr. Poulet, presenting a challenge to Mr. Timans’s vision for universal human rights practice.

The wording differed but the sentiment was the same. Where Mr. Timans advocated for a Western acceptance of cultural relativism as the solution to advancing human dignity, and Mr. Poulet saw cultural differences to be the determining trait of how human dignity is quantified, both offered us an important keynote: Western values are not the most important, they exist and are practised, but they have not been lost. Rather, the West needs to begin to respect different approaches and strategies to tackling global phenomenon and become humbled by their diversity.