December 10, 2008 marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since 1948 much has changed in the world: colonialism, by definition a systemic abuse of human rights, has largely been thrown into the dustbin of history although its grotesque legacies remain, while war, another unmitigated assault on human rights, and its aftermath continue to scar various parts of the world especially the African continent. Today, more people enjoy more rights than ever before, but more people are also more aware of the limitations of their national and the global human rights regimes. Indeed, as the promoters of…