On the first day of February 2021, Myanmar's military grabbed power in a coup d'etat, ending a decade of reforms that were supposed to break the shackles of military rule in Myanmar. Protests across the country were met with a brutal crackdown that shocked the world but were a familiar response from an institution that has ruled the country with violence and terror for decades. Return of the Junta is a detailed account of the ways that Myanmar's military - the Tamatdaw - has maintained control over its people despite a decade of supposed reform. In this detailed account, drawing on first-hand accounts from activists, jouralists and politicians, Oliver Slow explores the measures the military has used to keep hold of power and the motivations of those now rising up against its rule. The book asks the question: what needs to be done to remove the military from power in Myanmar once and for all?

Torture and Moral Integrity is about the wrongness of torture and the nature of morality. It discusses multiple types of torture with great philosophical acuity and it seeks to explain why interrogational torture and other types of torture are always and everywhere morally wrong. At the same time, it rigorously plumbs the general structure of morality and the intricacies of moral conflicts and it probes some of the chief grounds for the moral illegitimacy of various modes of conduct. It sophisticatedly defends a deontological conception of morality against some subtle critiques that have been mounted during the past few decades by proponents of consequentialism. The book tackles a concrete moral problem: a problem that has been heatedly debated during recent years in the governmental and military institutions of many countries as well as in academic circles. At the same time it tackles some very abstract issues in moral and political philosophy. Moreover, as becomes apparent at numerous junctures, the abstract ruminations and the concrete prescriptions are closely connected: Kramer's recommendations concerning the legal consequences of the perpetration of torture by public officials or private individuals, for example, are based squarely on his more abstract accounts of the nature of torture and the nature of morality. His philosophical reflections on the structure of morality are the vital background for his approach to torture, and his approach to torture is a natural outgrowth of those philosophical reflections.

This book looks at the changing continuum that links individuals, communities and society. An outline of Aspirational Algorithms (AA) and Valuable Wearables is presented as tools to shift from an AI culture to the cultivation of Augmented Humanity (AH). The human mindset that is behind the design and use of technology determines the outcomes of technology. If the intended outcome is the common good, then the preceding human aspiration must be geared toward that goal. Only technology that is conceived with the aspiration of a society that lifts individuals to fulfill their potential can be a game-changer for good. Seeing the constant interplay between the four levels of human existence - soul, heart, mind, body, expressed as aspirations, emotions, thoughts and sensations, how technology may serve to systematically sway individuals from inspiration to desire, from informing to the ignition of tangible transformation. This transition is explained in the book along the scale of influence. Two convergent and mutually influencing dynamics are analyzed: first, the influence of values and aspirations on the impact of technology, and second, the influence of technology on the attitude and action of users. Both assess how hardware and software can serve a maximum of people to live a meaningful happy life.

Politicians and diplomats have for many years proclaimed a human right to water as a solution to the global water crisis, most recently in the 2010 UN General Assembly Resolution "The human right to water and sanitation". To what extent, however, can a right to water legally and philosophically exist and what difference to international law and politics can it make? This question lies at the heart of this book. The book's answer is to argue that a right to water exists under international law but in a more differentiated and multi-level manner than previously recognised. Rather than existing as a singular and comprehensive right, the right to water should be understood as a composite right of different layers, both deriving from separate rights to health, life and an adequate standard of living, and supported by an array of regional and national rights. The author also examines the right at a conceptual level. After disproving some of the theoretical objections to the category of socio-economic rights generally and the concept of a right to water more specifically, the manuscript develops an innovative approach towards the interplay of different rights to water among different legal orders. The book argues for an approach to human rights - including the right to water - as international minimum standards, using the right to water as a model case to demonstrate how multilevel human rights protection can function effectively. The book also addresses a crucial last question: how does one make an international right to water meaningful in practice? The manuscript identifies three crucial criteria in order to strengthen such a composite derived right in practice: independent monitoring; enforcement towards the private sector; and international realization. The author examines to what extent these criteria are currently adhered to, and suggests practical ways of how they could be better met in the future.

This edited volume examines the development and challenges of governance, democracy, and human rights in Africa. It analyzes the emerging challenges for strengthening good governance in the region and explores issues related to civil, political, economic, cultural, and social rights highlighting group rights including women, girls, and other minority groups. The project presents a useful study of the democratization processes and normative developments in Africa exploring challenges in the form of corruption, conflict, political violence, and their subsequent impact on populations. The contributors appraise the implementation gap between law and practice and the need for institutional reform to build strong and robust mechanisms at the domestic, regional, and international levels.

Freedom in the World, the Freedom House flagship survey whose findings have been published annually since 1972, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The survey ratings and narrative reports on 195 countries and fourteen territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic activists, and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide. The Freedom in the World political rights and civil liberties ratings are determined through a multi-layered process of research and evaluation by a team of regional analysts and eminent scholars. The analysts used a broad range of sources of information, including foreign and domestic news reports, academic studies, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, individual professional contacts, and visits to the region, in conducting their research. The methodology of the survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.

James Cone cuts through the superficial assessments of King and Malcolm as polar opposites to reveal two men whose visions were complementary and moving towards convergence.

This book is about the forces and processes that continue to sustain pervasive inequalities in modern capitalist societies. It centers around the rise of structuration theory in geography and how this approach may be applied in order to comprehend the deepening chasms between classes, races, ethnic groups, and individuals in North America today. Inner city urban neighborhood decay, growing poverty, widening wealth gaps, and sustained racial and gender discrimination in the workplace all have spatial components. Structuration theory, originally expounded by Anthony Giddens, seeks to confront the relation between agency and structure in the social sciences. The centerpiece of structuration theory is duality of structure, the force that produces and reproduces the fabric of everyday life. The chapters in this volume successfully apply Giddens's theory to a number of specific institutions and locales where unequal access to basic resources is notably pronounced.

Factors such as inequality, gender, globalization, corruption, and instability clearly matter in human trafficking. But does corruption work the same way in Cambodia as it does in Bolivia? Does instability need to be present alongside inequality to lead to human trafficking? How do issues of migration connect? Using migration, feminist, and criminological theory, this book asks how global economic policies contribute to the conditions which both drive migration and allow human trafficking to flourish, with specific focus on Cambodia, Bolivia, and The Gambia. Challenging existing thinking, the book concludes with an anti-trafficking framework which addresses the root causes of human trafficking.

This book contributes conceptually, theoretically and morally to a deeper understanding of the distinctive Asian perceptions of punishment, justice and human rights. Researched and prepared by scholars who have not only been conducting studies on the death penalty in the region but have also been advocating for legal reforms, this edited book touches upon the different justifications for the use of capital punishment in the ASEAN region, exposing the secrecy, sensitivities and dilemmas that mask violations of international human rights laws. The chapters bring in numerous new perspectives which have been overlooked in the traditional discourse surrounding the use of the death penalty, such as that around crimes that do not meet the threshold of “most serious�; the dignity of death row inmates and their families; contradictions within religion and capital punishment; and the way in which growing authoritarianism and the media are adversely influencing the public’s perception and support for capital punishment in the region. In examining how public opinion shapes state policies towards the death penalty and how it varies according to different offences and different states, the authors critically analyse how the international human rights mechanisms have specifically called for ASEAN member states to refrain from extending the application of the death penalty and to limit it to the “most serious crimes.� Relevant to socio-legal scholars focused on crime and punishment in Southeast Asia, and in the Global South more broadly, this is a landmark collection in criminology and human rights scholarship.  Chapter "ASEAN and the Death Penalty: Theoretical and Legal Views and a Pathway to Abolition" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Race, as this book demonstrates, has been a factor in the Constitution's framing, ratification, and development. Examined specifically and in detail are: * the accommodation of slavery to create a viable republic; * the Union's experience with and eventual undoing by slavery; * reconstruction of the nation pursuant to seminal principles of racial equality; * persisting efforts to limit or defeat constitutional provisions for equality and opportunity; * the desegregation mandate and its devolution; and * modern problems in accounting for a legacy of racial discrimination and disadvantage. The Constitution is the overarching statement of popular will and consent and thus an especially apt prism through which to discern racial truths and the context and values that influence them. Constitutional law affords a particularly useful departure point for acquiring perspective upon moral reality and legal possibility. This book is rich in its analysis of the Supreme Court's response to society's ambiguities, concerns, and conscience in the matters of race. In examining problems and issues which historically have engendered dispute and division, it suggests a potentially consensual basis of ascertaining the Constitution's still unfinished business. The nation's enduring ambivalence and the price it pays in less than consistent constitutional interpretations on racial questions is both enlightening and disturbing. The questions, of course, are at the heart of a democracy and involve personhood, citizenship, liberty, and equality. The Constitution and Race will be valuable to political scientists, historians, sociologists, lawyers, and students.

This is a selection of Lord Irvine's major lectures and articles since 1995. It surveys the constitutional revolution that has taken place in Britain since the Labour Government came to power in 1997, taking in devolution and House of Lords reform, but with a particular focus on human rights. The evolution of a new human rights culture is traced, from the policy underlying the Human Rights Act 1998, through the scheme of the legislation and the preparations for implementation, to an analysis of the impact of the Act during its first two years. The work is of particular interest because Lord Irvine chaired the four main Cabinet Committees on constitutional change and introduced the Human Rights Bill to Parliament. Lord Irvine also considers the development and practice of public and administrative law, and the constitutional role of the British judiciary and the Lord Chancellor within our unique separation of powers. Alongside forays into criminal, commercial, and medical law, the collection also embraces an international perspective, with essays on the influence in Britain of european law; comparative analyses of key aspects of English, American and French jurisprudence; and a discussion of the continuing relevance of Magna Carta in Britain and Australia. This collection is a timely contribution to the debate on human rights, constitutional law and the English legal system at the turn of the new millennium, and will be of interest to judges, academics, practitioners and students.

This book presents a selection of revised and updated papers presented in September 2018 at the International Conference 'Rethinking the Crime of Aggression: International and Interdisciplinary Perspectives', which was held in Marburg, Germany, and hosted by the International Research and Documentation Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC). In light of the activation of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court concerning the crime of aggression, international experts from various disciplines such as law, history, the social sciences, psychology and economics came together to enhance the understanding of this complex and challenging matter and thereby opened a cross-disciplinary dialogue regarding aggressive war and the crime of aggression: a dialogue that not only addresses the historical genesis of the current situation, the content of the new aggression provisions, their implementation in practice and their possible regulatory effects, but also instigates perspectives for investigating future developments and issues. Stefanie Bock is Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, International Criminal Law and Comparative Law in the Department of Law at the Philipps University of Marburg in Germany and Co-Director of the International Research and Documentation Centre for War Crimes Trials. Eckart Conze is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History in the Department of History at the Philipps University of Marburg in Germany and Co-Director of the International Research and Documentation Centre for War Crimes Trials.

Since 1989, when the movement for Kashmiri independence took the form of an armed insurgency, it has been one of the most highly militarized regions in the world. This book is based on the idea that preserving memory is central to the struggle for justice and to someday rebuild a society shattered by two decades of armed conflict.

This book considers that contextual factors are important for the achievement of social justice and it recognizes that vulnerability to which children are exposed is a phenomenon throughout the planet, particularly in the South. It presents a theoretical review of social justice as well as different situations of vulnerability children experience in their daily lives in which they can be injured, affecting their well-being and the exercise of their rights. It examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, considered as a vulnerable group warranting special social policy considerations. It also presents the need to change power structures in knowledge production and decision-making processes to achieve social justice for children; the importance of investing in children; the exclusion of children from participation in certain activities and the shame of not being able to participate in equal conditions with others; the lives of migrant children belonging to ethnic minorities exposed to language barriers and access to technological devices; and the analysis of the process of social re-integration of children from conditions of armed conflict. The book concludes that governments need to assume social justice as part of universal human interests, providing security, conditions for well-being, and guaranteeing social justice for all children.

Analysing the convergence of law and regulation with rapidly evolving communications technologies, this interdisciplinary work navigates the intricate balancing act between human rights protection and technological innovation in a digital age, and illuminates the comprehensive potential of human rights to frame our intelligent use of technology. The authors address such pressing questions as how to protect user privacy online, whether digital pollution is a health hazard, who should have control and be responsible for data technologies and how to maintain human autonomy in a world of interconnected objects. By considering specific cases, this book provides an in-depth exploration of the many regulatory and technological choices citizens, states, civil society organizations and the private sector should consider to ensure that digital technology more fully serves human needs.

This important book focuses on North Korean refugee human rights issues-a topic largely ignored in favor of addressing North Korea's domestic politics and deterrence of Pyongyang's nuclear threat. The first book of its kind, Securitization of Human Rights: North Korean Refugees in East Asia examines the complex problem of "what to do with North Korea"-specifically, regarding human rights issues and treatment of North Korean refugees. The book spotlights four key countries-China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States-with regard to their policy stance towards North Korean human rights issues, analyzing the dynamic tension between realpolitik and moral principle by looking at the regional governments' responses. Rather than focusing only on politics and foreign policy, this book is about the people involved, describing the plight of North Korean refugees, the perspective of South Korean citizens, and the quandary facing power elites in the regional governments.

This book offers insights into how international investment law (IIL) has frustrated states' protection of human rights in Latin America, and IIL has generally abstained from dealing with inter-regime frictions. In these circumstances, this study not only argues that IIL should be an object of contention and debate ('politicisation'). It also contends that Latin American countries have traditionally been the frontrunners in the politicisation of international legal instruments protecting foreign investment, questioning whether the paradigms informing their claims' articulation are adequate to frame this debate. It demonstrates that the so-called 'right to regulate' is the paradigm now prevalently used to challenge IIL, but that it is inadequate from a human rights perspective. Hence, the book calls for a re-politicisation of IIL in Latin America through a re-conceptualization of how states' regulation of foreign investment is understood under international human rights law, which entails viewing it as an international duty. After determining what the 'duty to regulate' constitutes in relation to the right to water and indigenous peoples' right to lands based on human rights doctrine, the book analyses the extent to which Latin American countries are currently re-politicising IIL through an articulation of this international duty, and arbitral tribunals' responses to their argumentative strategies. Based on these findings, the book not only proposes investment treaties' reform to anchor the 'duty to regulate' paradigm in IIL, and in the process, to induce tribunals' engagement with human rights arguments when they come to underpin respondent states' defences in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). In addition, drawing upon the (now likely defunct) idea of creating a regional ISDS tribunal, the book briefly reflects on options available to such a tribunal in terms of dealing with troubling normative/institutional interactions between regimes during ISDS proceedings.

The 1990s witnessed a surge of feminist human rights scholarship and activism in international law which has shaped jurisprudential and institutional developments, yet gender issues and human rights still remain a challenging and evolving field of study. In this collection, Professor Otto brings together seminal works which are united in their aim of questioning the existing gendered hierarchies of power and inequality and the purportedly natural foundations that have justified oppressive gender stereotypes. Included works cover, among others, the history and early developments of women's rights, structural critiques of international human rights law, recognizing new human rights, linking women's economic inequality and human rights and thinking beyond the duality of gender.

This book provides an in-depth overview of what is currently happening in the field of Law and Artificial Intelligence (AI). From deep fakes and disinformation to killer robots, surgical robots, and AI lawmaking, the many and varied contributors to this volume discuss how AI could and should be regulated in the areas of public law, including constitutional law, human rights law, criminal law, and tax law, as well as areas of private law, including liability law, competition law, and consumer law. Aimed at an audience without a background in technology, this book covers how AI changes these areas of law as well as legal practice itself. This scholarship should prove of value to academics in several disciplines (e.g., law, ethics, sociology, politics, and public administration) and those who may find themselves confronted with AI in the course of their work, particularly people working within the legal domain (e.g., lawyers, judges, law enforcement officers, public prosecutors, lawmakers, and policy advisors). Bart Custers is Professor of Law and Data Science at eLaw - Center for Law and Digital Technologies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Eduard Fosch-Villaronga is Assistant Professor at eLaw - Center for Law and Digital Technologies at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Combining conflict studies and feminist perspectives on everyday violence, this book analyses games and push-backs, which are vectors to migrants' border crossing attempts and violence that aims to deter their journeys at the Bosnian-Croatian border. It questions how these diverse forms of violence are experienced, not treating violence as singular episodes but rather paying attention to how migrants make meaning of it across months and years. The author examines direct violence and its symbiosis with structural harms and questions how these turn into an everyday, concrete, and intimate processes at the border. She also questions who this violence targets, where it takes place, and asks whether and how the dominant assumptions about race and gender impact men's migration journeys. The book will appeal to scholars and postgraduate students interested in issues of migration, violence, masculinities, racialization, the European Union's border governance, and scholar activism.

This book engages with human rights and human rights education (HRE) in ways that offer opportunities for criticality and renewal. It takes up various ideas, from critical and decolonial theories to philosophers and intellectuals, to theorize the renewal of HRE as Critical Human Rights Education. The point of departure is that the acceptable "truths" of human rights are seldom critically examined, and productive interpretations for understanding and acting in a world that is soaked in the violations these rights try to address, cannot emerge. The book cultivates a critical view of human rights in education and beyond, and revisits receivable categories of human rights to advance social-justice-oriented educational praxes. It focuses on the ways that issues of human rights, philosophy, and education come together, and how a critical project of their entanglements creates openings for rethinking human rights education (HRE) both theoretically and in praxis. Given the persistence of issues of human rights worldwide, this book will be useful to researchers and educators across disciplines and in numerous parts of the world.

This book examines the impact and implications of the declaration of human right to water and sanitation access for human security in Central Asia. It analyzes the current risks and threats arising from mismanagement of water resources in Central Asia through the different dimensions of human security: environmental, economic, social, and political. Identifying the main actors involved in water conflict in the region, the author pays particular attention to the multilateral security organizations operating in the region, OSCE, NATO, SCO, and CSTO, and discusses whether their security policies have been effective in addressing these conflicts.

This book] provides the kind of scholarly resource that educated citizens need to think for themselves, a rich digest of primary sources documenting--in their own words--the views, motives, and intentions of the Framers, historic commentators, legislators, and judiciary who have debated the right to keep and bear arms from the origins of our republic. "Preston K. Covey, Carnegie Mellon University "

Beginning with its origins in the English Civil War, Clayton Cramer traces the development in the United States of the right to keep and bear arms--through the Constitutional Convention, the ratification debates that followed, its inclusion by Congress in the Bill of Rights, to the present controversy over gun control. This book provides important background, analysis, documentation, and perspective for the ongoing national debate over arms.