<P> Defenders of moral universalism argue that relativistic arguments neglect the fact that modern human rights are new to all cultures, dating back no further than the UDHR in 1948 . They argue that the UDHR was drafted by people from many different cultures and traditions, including a US Roman Catholic, a Chinese Confucian philosopher, a French zionist and a representative from the Arab League, amongst others, and drew upon advice from thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi . Michael Ignatieff has argued that cultural relativism is almost exclusively an argument used by those who wield power in cultures which commit human rights abuses, and that those whose human rights are compromised are the powerless . This reflects the fact that the difficulty in judging universalism versus relativism lies in who is claiming to represent a particular culture . </P> <P> Although the argument between universalism and relativism is far from complete, it is an academic discussion in that all international human rights instruments adhere to the principle that human rights are universally applicable . The 2005 World Summit reaffirmed the international community's adherence to this principle: </P> <P> The universal nature of human rights and freedoms is beyond question . </P>

Discuss the nature and principles of human rights