Prof. Ghanim al-Najjar

20 years ago, the world started a political discourse of human rights with the World Conference on Human rights held in June 1993 in Vienna. Hopes were high that the world was entering a new era, in which human dignity would be the main catalyst of world international affairs and path.Abstract: 20 years ago, the world started a political discourse of human rights with the World Conference on Human rights held in June 1993 in Vienna. Hopes were high that the world was entering a new era, in which human dignity would be the main catalyst of world international affairs and relations. The question now is not whether those hopes were genuine, but whether any progress has been made in this path. How human rights dynamics are featured in the international scene, and do human rights matter at all in international, regional, and national decision making? This question is especially relevant in the so-called "empty quarter" of democracy, i.e. the Middle East.