Introduction

The present concern with human rights, which has been expounded not only by President Carter but which is a deeply felt concern in large parts of the world, is partly a reaction to past involvement in repression by the organs of many states, including the Western ones. The present system of human rights is a comprehensive one and is based on the combination of equality and freedom. In most Western states, civil and political rights form key elements of the constitutions and cannot easily be disregarded. They are important for the purpose of legitimation of the existing system. Peace research, a scientific discipline concerned with the elimination of structural and direct violence, should study the possibilities of advancing democracy and human rights without violence from either side, be it from the established authorities or from those who want to achieve changes.