About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

15 Cal. W. Int'l L.J. 510 (1985)
The Shortcomings of a Garfield the Cat Approach to the Right to Development

handle is hein.journals/calwi15 and id is 518 raw text is: THE SHORTCOMINGS OF A GARFIELD THE CAT APPROACH TO THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT* PHILIP ALSTON** For the purposes of discussion, it seems appropriate to charac- terize Jack Donnelly's article in this issue as embodying a Garfield the Cat approach to the right to development. His article displays both the extraordinarily thorough research and the skillful use of in- ter-disciplinary analysis that we have come to expect of him. It is also a hard-hitting attempt to debunk the right to development as an acceptable human right and to warn of the dire consequences that could follow if the right is taken seriously. His forthright attack on the entire concept represents a valuable counterpoint to the perhaps excessively uncritical acceptance which most commentators to date have accorded to the emerging right. Clearly, in seeking to evaluate a concept as potentially significant and far-reaching as the right to development, and particularly one which has emerged with almost indecent haste from total obscurity to considerable prominence in the space of less than a decade, such a damning critique can have a salu- tary effect. I. THE GARFIELD APPROACH Donnelly's introduction very effectively sets the scene for what I term his Garfield the Cat approach. For the uninitiated, it is nec- essary to explain that the widely syndicated comic strip to which I am referring features a street-smart cat whose legendary laziness is interrupted only by the seemingly boundless energy which he is able to bring to his efforts to expose the foolishness of his owner, Jon. * This Commentary is a revised and slightly expanded version of comments made at the Symposium on Economic Development as an Emerging Human Right, organized by the CALIFORNIA WESTERN INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL in San Diego, California, on February 22-23, 1985. This is intended only as a critque of Jack Donnelly's paper as presented to the Symposium. It does not in any way purport to make an independent or comprehensive case in favor of the right to development. Donnelly's reply to this comment should thus be read in that light. ** Visiting Professor of Law, Harvard Law School; Official of the United Nations Center for Human Rights, Geneva, Switzerland.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most