Why should I care about human rights?
Thoughts on human rights
This article fleshes out some of the ideas in the introduction and would be a good one to read after that.
The Rwandan massacres
The massacres in Rwanda were an event that touched me deeply, and taught me much about the world. Here are a couple of good summary articles about why the west should also learn from them.
Liberty does not consist in mere declarations of the rights of man. It consists in the translation of those declarations into definite action
A Force More Powerful - A century of nonviolent conflict
In some ways, one could see it as a ridiculous idea. That systems created and supported by violence could be threatened by peaceful protest.
Time and again over history however that is what we have seen. Indeed non-violent movements are often more successful than violent ones. Violence plays the game using the oppressor's own rules, however, when they lose the moral authority to govern in society their days are often numbered.