The Amorality of Profit: Transnational Corporations and Human Rights

Abstract

This chapter begins with an overview of the human rights problems presented by multinational corporations, looking at modern human rights abuses as well as the Holocaust. It explains the regulatory challenge posed by transnational corporations, examining the historical development of the corporate structure and the disjuncture between modern multinational entities and the still largely independent domestic legal systems. The chapter analyzes the current state of the international law governing corporate human rights practices, concluding that core human rights norms apply to corporations as well as to states and individuals. It discusses the harsh reality that corporations often profit from abusive behavior. The chapter also discusses the international norms and coordinated enforcement mechanisms by examining the state's power to regulate transnational corporations. The task ahead is to find effective mechanisms to enforce those norms, to ensure that the amorality of profit does not permit corporate human rights abuses to fester for another fifty years.