IB Global Politics Contested Meanings of Rights and Justice Questionbank

(d) Using at least three sources and your own knowledge, evaluate the claim that national security is the main reason governments restrict civil liberties.

(a) With specific reference to Source A, identify how the allocation of land for resource extraction might impact the rights of indigenous communities.

(b) Using Source B and one example you have studied, explain the importance of collective rights in the context of human rights.

(c) Compare and contrast the views on justice and development as described in Source C and Source D.

(d) Using at least three sources and your own knowledge, evaluate the claim that “Collective rights are essential for the protection of individual human rights.”

To what extent can principles of justice apply globally rather than only within states?

"Human rights are a Western construct and cannot be universal." Discuss this view.

"Restorative justice offers a more meaningful response to mass atrocity than criminal prosecution." Discuss.

Source A

Source B

Adapted from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Article 32 (2007)

States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.

Collective rights represent the shared interests and identity of a group, which are distinct from individual rights. For many indigenous communities, the right to land is not just an individual property right but a collective right to survival, culture, and self-determination. This framework challenges traditional Western notions of individual justice by arguing that the group’s historical and spiritual connection to a territory must be legally protected to ensure the human rights of all its members are realized.

Source C

Adapted from an editorial: “National Development and the Public Interest,” The Daily Progress (2019)

Critics of large-scale infrastructure and mining projects often ignore the broader mandate of the state: the welfare of the entire nation. While respect for local communities is important, it cannot override the state’s sovereign right to develop its natural resources for the benefit of the majority. The revenues generated from these projects provide the schools, hospitals, and infrastructure needed to lift millions out of poverty.

A system that grants a small minority a permanent veto over national economic strategy is fundamentally unjust to the rest of the citizenry. The state must balance competing interests, but its primary duty is to the collective prosperity of its people. Individual and group grievances must be managed through fair compensation, but the progress of the nation as a whole is a priority that ensures the long-term enjoyment of social and economic rights for every citizen.

Source D

Adapted from a report by Cultural Survival: “The Struggle for Ancestral Land,” (2021)

For the Ogoni people and many other groups, the land is more than a resource; it is the foundation of their identity and existence. Recent years have seen an escalation of conflict as governments grant licenses to multinational corporations without the genuine consent of the residents. Activists argue that “development” forced upon a community is not development at all, but a form of dispossession.

In many cases, legal victories in international courts—which recognize the collective titles of indigenous peoples—are ignored by national governments. The persistence of these conflicts highlights the clash between two views of justice: one that prioritizes the global market and national GDP, and another that prioritizes the dignity and cultural continuity of traditional societies. True justice requires recognizing that certain rights, such as the right to ancestral land, are non-negotiable and cannot be simply “bought off” with compensation.