Separate and Unequal

The thesis of this paper is that there currently exist two separate and unequal frameworks for international trade on the one hand and international human rights on the other. These separate frameworks have different and often contradictory foundations in philosophy and values, laws and standards, and procedural and enforcement mechanisms. Most importantly, they have different and often contradictory substantive impacts on the lives of human beings. In particular, the trade framework has superceded and marginalized the human rights framework to the point where major violations of human rights are carried out under the legal imprimatur of international trade, negatively impacting the well being of countless millions of people around the world.