Natalia NAROCHNITSKAYA President, Foundation for Historical Outlook Chairman, The RF State Duma Commission for Studies of Practical Observance of Human Rights and Basic Freedoms, Supervision over their Observance in Foreign States Ph.D. (History) It has been a long time since the issue of human rights was deliberately transformed into nearly the main aspect of social life in the Western civilization. The informational field is overwhelmed by worn-out cliches, stereotypes and prejudices against some countries whereas others are assigned a nearly infallible status and presumptuously play the mentor role. Human rights, democracy, and the rights of minorities have evolved into instruments for the partition of "undesirable" countries insubordinate to global control and into pretexts for using force against sovereign states, even though this is prohibited by the UN Charter. The Commission for studies of practical observance of human rights and basic freedoms, supervision over their observance in foreign states is a new parliamentary structure of the RF State стр. 5 Duma established to contribute to Russia's potential of equal and full-scale participation in the human rights debate on the international arena, in the development of substantiated and nondiscriminatory international criteria in this area, and in the control of their fair use in international practice. After the fall of the bipolar system of international relations and the violation of the balance of forces in the world which had made the leading powers adhere to the classic international law, the topic of human rights rapidly became a powerful tool of undisguised political pressure in international affairs. As for international organizations, a number of them that had little influence previously now assume the roles of self-proclaimed arbiters with the authority to grant or to deny "certificates of the civilized status". Having adopted the d ... Читать далее