In the history of the Western thought we witness an acceptance of right to overthrow an oppressive government as the key to their political evolution. Uprisings were initially condemned with such ignoble labels as treason, treachery, rebellion and mutiny. But eventually the 'rebels' were glorified as heroes by the liberated millions. They are none other than George Washington, Simon Bolivars and Garibaldis , now seen deified on pedestals of the world capitals. To quote from The Declaration of Independence, 1776 of the thirteen United States of America that legitimized rebellion against the King of Great Britain. "We hold these truths to be self - evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" ... "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations (sic) ... evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government ... for their future security." 

Neither the human nature nor the oppression inflicted on humanity has since changed; only the methods have. The contemporary state is equipped with potent weapons of death like air power and heavy artillery. It has invented new covert devices of political and economic domination. The 'rebel' groups stand no chance of winning in open warfare against them, any more. As a last resort they are compelled to use the tactic of sneak attacks, to shake up the conscience of their tormentors and the world. Whether they wear the garb of religion, nationalism or ethnicity, they perceive themselves to be the victims of some injustice. The current hate words used to describe such protestors have changed to militants, urban guerillas, desperados and terrorists. 

The modern perspective has reduced the planet earth to one integrated entity. Poverty in tropics will cause deforestation, which will result in global warming and damaging biodiversity to the detriment of the affluent North. Disease like AIDS, if not checked in Africa, will reach the shores of America. The nations robbed of their resources and economies by intervention and occupation of Western powers need to be rehabilitated not for moral but pragmatic reasons. They deserve to be treated with the same norms of justice and fair play, the developed society has prescribed for itself. As universally agreed in United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) but never practiced: " Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law" and ... "progressive measures should be taken at national and international level to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance ... among the member states and the people of their territories".

The state as an aggregate of individuals is also entitled to the same human rights in community of nations. The United States of America, the great champion of equality, freedom and democracy at home, however, does not see things that way. In order to force its own will over the rest of the world, it resorts to using its financial muscle to arm-twist the United Nations into acquiescing to its own agenda of self-interests. When the International Court of Justice convicted and fined USA for indulging in unlawful acts and killings in Nicaragua in 1986, the country refused to accept the verdict and proved its obduracy by vetoing the Security Council resolution confirming the verdict. Further, it refused to pay up the fine even after the General Assembly, representing the entire world upheld the punishment. As if it was not enough, the intransigent USA then declared never to accept the jurisdiction of the World Court in the future. It proved its hypocrisy by refusing to ratify the protocols and treaties, it initially accepted in the interest of the whole mankind. It retracted from the Kyoto Agreement meant to prevent global warming and the establishment of International Permanent Criminal Court, with the disdain of an active and conniving criminal. Sadly, it manipulates the American media to keep the Americans in dark about their Government's delinquency in foreign affairs. In today's world the small or weaker states have been made to pawn their sovereignty and well being of their people. Some of them have bartered off their independence for their dynastic protection and opportunity of corruption offered by the big powers, while others have succumbed to the debt burden of the multilateral finance institutions or geopolitical pressures manipulated by the same powers. All such nations, struggling to keep their hold, are oblivious of and even responsible for the damage of the fragile global environment. Most of them use repressive measures to silence dissent of their citizens, in order to serve their own purpose and that of their masters abroad. Their mechanization is responsible for various insurgencies, small wars and killings through terrorism. The current coalition of the West, after killing numerous victims of their choice, will soon stand answerable to the world for failing to resolve the outstanding issues. 

It is time now, and the world community owes it to the suffering humanity and to itself, to establish international rule of law in order to make it possible for the world to enjoy a semblance of civil society. International justice needs to be established through legislation under the UN Charter and dispensed by specialized International Courts and Arbitration Tribunals on political, commercial, territorial, commercial, environmental and human right issues. They must adjudicate on all conflicts, not only between one state and another but also between people and the states. The aggrieved people would knock at the doors of Justice rather than take up arms, kill and get killed. The Palestinians, Basques, Tamils, Kashmiris, Nagas, Moros, Kurds and Latin American Guerillas, as well as the Green Peace and Seattle activists are some of many others waiting to do so. Question may be asked as to how the laws will be enforced and the writs of the Courts executed against non-compliant and belligerent powers. The answer lies in the untested power of the informed citizens in censuring and shaping their national policies and world community of nations exerting peer pressure against the defiant powers and eventually ostracizing them. There are signs of both trends taking shape already, which need to be highlighted and bolstered up the world bodies.

The spirit of individual, has fortunately remained free and alive, is moving towards a global consciousness. The new frontiers of free-flowing information is breaking through the barriers of state-orchestrated media and reaching out to the citizens. They are uncovering blatant injustices and misdemeanors of the states and promoting a new solidarity through cyber-activism. The nexus between the state and the individual is being modified, creating space for the concern of the world along with the country. The youth of the North is protesting against the disease, hunger and environmental deterioration in distant part of the world, as if they were his own problems. The aggressive Seattle phenomenon and environmental protests repeated in different parts of the West is a case in the point. The universal concern for humanity, not being part of the agenda of any government, is being taken over increasingly by Non Government Organizations of the citizens. The youth of the South is reaching out to the rest of the world in desperation, to tell of his woes caused by the tyranny of the dominating powers.

Some states are already beginning to reflect the concerns of their citizens in their foreign policies and showing inclination to win the day by censuring the wrong and promoting fair play. For the first time the friends and foes alike, jointly showed the USA the door of the UN Commission on Human Rights to its utter shock. The USA has also been condemned openly for opposing the establishment of The Permanent International Criminal Court and the Kyoto Protocol for controlling the Green-house gases, both of which are progressing despite its opposition. Hatred against American and British governments, expressed in violent demonstrations before the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq all over the world, and the futility of the whole exercise after the event has opened the eyes of the nations for introspection.

States do not have conscience but people do. Information is the only tool that can trigger the collective conscience of humanity to a global activism. It will help democracy transcend the short-term parochial interests and respond to the broader concerns of humanity. The UN and the responsible states will do well to spend more on creative dissemination of information, even at the cost of other activities. It will prove an indirect investment for delivering justice to the deprived and releasing forces of good governance, alleviation of poverty, development, health and education in a more sustainable manner.