Abuse and Manipulation of the Concept of Human Rights as a Tool of Political Pressure in the International Arena

On the world stage, the topic of human rights over the past quarter century has become a tool for numerous states to promote their own opportunistic political and economic interests. Manipulation and doublespeak have been purposely used to give an entirely different meaning to generally accepted terms and concepts that are enshrined in universal and regional instruments. In addition, people who abuse this topic in order to combat ‘undesirable regimes’ often hide behind the plausible pretext of protecting human rights. The growing global geopolitical confrontation has intensified these trends and given rise to the concept of ‘legal aggression’. How does the destructive politicization of human rights issues by individual states manifest itself, and what are its implications for universal and regional international platforms? Are there effective ways to counteract this phenomenon? What could the further instrumentalization and politicization of human rights issues lead to from the standpoint of the international system for the protection of human rights?