Debate: Is Human Rights Dead?

This Wednesday, Feb. 15, the Chicago Council of Global Affairs will be hosting a timely debate between Ian Hurd (Political Science, Northwestern) and Eric Posner (University of Chicago Law School) on the relevance of human rights to current international relations. The event will be moderated by Leslie Smith (Kirkland and Ellis LLP).

Registration and details here: https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/event/debate-human-rights-dead.

From the event description:

Human rights form an integral part of modern international law, but should they? Many governments have ratified human rights treaties and incorporated human rights law into their legal systems. Yet the persistence of extrajudicial killings, religious persecution, and political repression illustrates that they are violated routinely and blatantly. And with Guantanamo Bay likely to remain open, President Donald Trump vowing to reinstate torture, and the United Kingdom considering withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights, has the idea of universal human rights lost all legitimacy and credibility? Do any countries have the moral authority and political will to lead on human rights? Or is human rights dead, as some argue?

The debate should be of interest to all Chicago-area folks.