The 10th of December is celebrated as World Human Rights Day internationally. The date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly of the United Nations, in 1948. That makes this year's December 10th all the more special, it is the 60th anniversary of the event. However, most of the attempts, in the media or otherwise, to commemorate the occasion brought into sharp focus the failure of the Declaration, for that matter the international community, with respect to ensuring basic rights for everyone across the globe. In South and West Asia, a region mostly populated by Islamic countries, the situation is seemingly more serious than most other places. An obvious reason for this is the fact that much of the region in mired in one or more of several regional and international conflicts. With the new incoming American administration, is there a chance to effect significant change?

The new Cost of Conflict Study by Strategic Foresight Group on the Middle East estimates that the presence of US troops in the region has risen by a factor of 100 since 1993. There are currently more than 221,000 American military personnel stationed in the Middle East, according to the report. Apart from this the United States is engaged in delicate, multi-layered diplomatic efforts with almost all of the countries, at one level or another. The United States is also fighting 2 wars in the region.

The US has direct strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in its 'war on terrorism'. As of September 2008, Saudi Arabia was the second largest exporter of oil to the United States, behind only Canada. However, Saudi Arabia is also listed in the Human Rights Report 2006 as a major country of concern. Human rights watchdogs have long criticized the Kingdom and the Royal family for their history of human rights abuse, especially against women. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, where Sharia law is implemented. The Kingdom does not have freedom of press or of expression. Journalists can be arrested for printing opinions criticizing the King or the royal family. There have been instances of Shia Muslims being arrested for publicly celebrating a religious holiday. The US has used Pakistan, a vital ally, as its base in its war against the Al-Qaeda and its operations in Afghanistan. At the same time, the United States has given Pakistan almost US $10 billion in aid, to fight terrorism within its borders. According to the Human Rights Watch World Report of 2007 the Pakistani government has used counter-terrorism as an excuse to illegally detain citizens and to coerce political opponents. The report shows that the situation for women in the country continues to remain desperate, and that they are subjected to domestic violence, rape, trafficking and 'honour killings' with little or no help provided to them by the government of Pakistan.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, where the United States is fighting unpopular and expensive wars, the human rights situation is not much better. US forces have thousands of Iraqis in detention for indefinite periods of time. Details of detainee abuse by US forces have emerged from American soldiers themselves. These soldiers have revealed that such detention and abuse was an established part of policy and interrogation processes in Iraq for the period from 2003 to 2005. Afghan women rank amongst the world's worst off in terms of indicators such as life expectancy, maternal mortality and literacy, the Human Rights Watch World Report of 2007 has said. Only 25% of school-age girls were enrolled in school as of 2006. According to Afghanistan's Ministry of Women's Affairs, more than one-third of all marriages in 2006 were forced, and more than half of the girls married were under 16. Israel, America's close friend and ally, has refused to allow seriously ill patients to leave Gaza on unspecified security grounds. The Israeli government has also been known to cut off electricity and fuel supply to the civilian population in Gaza.

In the South and West Asia, the countries that the US has partnered with and is directly engaged in, have recorded some of the worst human rights abuses. At times, these abuses have come directly from American soldiers and operatives themselves. Detainee abuse, extraordinary rendition and Guantanamo Bay have proven the US has actively been indulging in torture and violations of human rights. President-Elect Obama has the opportunity to drastically alter the landscape of the region by simply honouring international treaties and reversing some of the more controversial policies that the Bush administration has put in place. Mr. Obama has already promised to shut down Guantanamo Bay and vowed to deter the practice of 'waterboarding'. That alone should signal to Middle East that he is serious about upholding human rights. The Obama campaign and now the Obama transition team has looked to take a tougher stance on both Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, the focus there seems to be military. Mr Obama should also seriously increase the presence of aid workers and human rights activists in the country to better take stock of the current situation and what can be done in the immediate future, especially with regard to the state of women in both these countries. The American government will also have to significantly increase monetary support to aid programs, aimed at educating the civilian population of hostile countries, although this might be unlikely considering the current state of the American economy. In Iraq, where Mr. Obama is looking to withdraw US troops, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts must be paired with better law enforcement and serious litigation for those who would seek to violate fundamental human rights. To America's partners like Israel and Saudi Arabia, Mr. Obama's message should be clear ' adhere to international law or face the consequences.

With his presidency, Obama has the opportunity to deliver the change that he has promised, not just to the American people but to those across the globe that continue to suffer to this day, sixty years after they were promised the most fundamental of rights.