Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy provides a comprehensive historical overview and analysis of the complex and often vexing problem of understanding the formation of U.S. human rights policy. The proper place of human rights and fundamental freedoms in U.S. foreign policy has long been debated among scholars, politicians, and the American public. Clair Apodaca argues that the history of U.S.human rights policy unfolds as a series of prevarications that are the result of presidential preferences, along with the conflict and cooperation among bureaucratic actors. Through a series of chapters devoted to U.S. presidential administrations from Richard Nixon to the present, she delivers a comprehensive historical, social, and cultural context to understand the development and implementation of U.S. human rights policy. For each administration, she pays close attention to how ideology, bureaucratic politics, lobbying, and competition affect the inclusion or exclusion of human rights in the economic and military aid allocation decisions of the United States. She further demonstrates that from the inception of U.S. human rights policy, presidents have attempted to tell only part of the truth or to reformulate the truth by redefining the meaning of the terms "human rights," "democracy," or "torture," for example. In this way, human rights policy has been about prevarication. Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy is a key text for students, which will appeal to all readers who will find a historically informed, argument driven account of the erratic evolution of U.S. human rights policy since the Nixon Administration.

A natural hazard is a physical event but a disaster is a social and political phenomenon. Natural hazards are, for the most part, unavoidable and apolitical. However, they carry with them serious political, economic, and social consequences. Disasters also have adverse consequences on human rights standards. An understanding of the relationship between disasters and human rights outcomes requires knowledge of how disasters increase grievance and frustration, and impact the probability of contentious political behavior. To date, there has been little empirical or theoretical research on the specific circumstances under which disasters impact antigovernment political behavior, and even less is known of the causal chain between a natural disaster, protest activity, and human rights violations. In this book, Clair Apodaca maps a comprehensive causal model of the complex interactions between disasters and human rights violations. She claims that pre-existing inequalities and societal grievances turn a natural hazard into a disaster. A grievance-based theory of protests suggests that the underlying structural causes are social and economic group disparities, political exclusion, along with population pressures. To turn these all too common conditions into active political behavior requires a triggering event. When a damage-loss is the primary consequence of a disaster, the government and international community can compensate victims by providing rebuilding and reconstruction aid. However, when the disaster results in high numbers of fatalities, the government and international community cannot adequately compensate survivors for their losses. Grievances cannot be easily or effectively eliminated, and survivors and their supporters mobilize for change even if they are likely to face state repression. Clair Apodaca offers a unique contribution to our understanding of human rights violations. She effectively shows that there is a causal process between hazard events, protest activities, and government repression, a finding that is key to scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers working in this field.

A natural hazard is a physical event but a disaster is a social and political phenomenon. Natural hazards are, for the most part, unavoidable and apolitical. However, they carry with them serious political, economic, and social consequences. Disasters also have adverse consequences on human rights standards. An understanding of the relationship between disasters and human rights outcomes requires knowledge of how disasters increase grievance and frustration, and impact the probability of contentious political behavior. To date, there has been little empirical or theoretical research on the specific circumstances under which disasters impact antigovernment political behavior, and even less is known of the causal chain between a natural disaster, protest activity, and human rights violations. In this book, Clair Apodaca maps a comprehensive causal model of the complex interactions between disasters and human rights violations. She claims that pre-existing inequalities and societal grievances turn a natural hazard into a disaster. A grievance-based theory of protests suggests that the underlying structural causes are social and economic group disparities, political exclusion, along with population pressures. To turn these all too common conditions into active political behavior requires a triggering event. When a damage-loss is the primary consequence of a disaster, the government and international community can compensate victims by providing rebuilding and reconstruction aid. However, when the disaster results in high numbers of fatalities, the government and international community cannot adequately compensate survivors for their losses. Grievances cannot be easily or effectively eliminated, and survivors and their supporters mobilize for change even if they are likely to face state repression. Clair Apodaca offers a unique contribution to our understanding of human rights violations. She effectively shows that there is a causal process between hazard events, protest activities, and government repression, a finding that is key to scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers working in this field.

Child Hunger and Human Rights: International Governance applies the human rights theory of legal obligation to the problem of child malnutrition and investigates whether duty-bearers have fulfilled their obligations to protect, respect and provide. This book includes moral, economic, political and legal components to the research on the child's right to be free from hunger. Using two methods of investigation; the first a historical comparative method based on the systematic analysis of the content of historical materials, government documents, policy statements, state budgets, newspaper reports and other public records, and the second is statistical analysis. Apodaca investigates beyond the suffering, deformities, and deaths of children, to child malnutrition resulting in reduced physical and mental development threatening the child's life opportunities, the prospects of further generations, and the growth of the economy. Examining the connection between governmental agricultural, economic and financial policies, international donor policies, and transnational corporate voluntary codes of conduct affecting child malnutrition rates, this book will be of interest to policy-makers, activists, students and scholars of human rights, social justice, international ethics, development, international relations and law.

Child Hunger and Human Rights: International Governance applies the human rights theory of legal obligation to the problem of child malnutrition and investigates whether duty-bearers have fulfilled their obligations to protect, respect and provide.

This book includes moral, economic, political and legal components to the research on the child's right to be free from hunger. Using two methods of investigation; the first a historical comparative method based on the systematic analysis of the content of historical materials, government documents, policy statements, state budgets, newspaper reports and other public records, and the second is statistical analysis. Apodaca investigates beyond the suffering, deformities, and deaths of children, to child malnutrition resulting in reduced physical and mental development threatening the child's life opportunities, the prospects of further generations, and the growth of the economy.

Examining the connection between governmental agricultural, economic and financial policies, international donor policies, and transnational corporate voluntary codes of conduct affecting child malnutrition rates, this book will be of interest to policy-makers, activists, students and scholars of human rights, social justice, international ethics, development, international relations and law.

"Understanding U.S. Human Rights Policy" provides--beginning with the Nixon administration--a historical overview of the conflict/cooperation/paradoxes involved in the making and implementing of human rights policy. The book provides a thorough, administration by administration investigation of the interplay between human rights issues and foreign policy decision making. In doing so, the author demonstrates that the history of United States human rights policy is a series of different paradoxes that change depending on the presidential administration. Apodaca shows that far from immobilizing the progression of a genuine and functioning human rights policy, these paradoxes have actually helped to improve the human rights protections over the years. Readers will find in a single volume a historically informed, argument driven account of the erratic evolution of U.S. human rights policy over the past 35 years; a period during which concern for human rights became a major factor in foreign policy decision making.
"Understanding U.S. Human Rights Policy" provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the complex and, often vexing problem of understanding the formation of U.S. Human Rights policy that could be used as a supplement in courses on human rights, foreign policy analysis and decision making, and the history of U.S. foreign policy.

"Understanding U.S. Human Rights Policy" provides--beginning with the Nixon administration--a historical overview of the conflict/cooperation/paradoxes involved in the making and implementing of human rights policy. The book provides a thorough, administration by administration investigation of the interplay between human rights issues and foreign policy decision making. In doing so, the author demonstrates that the history of United States human rights policy is a series of different paradoxes that change depending on the presidential administration. Apodaca shows that far from immobilizing the progression of a genuine and functioning human rights policy, these paradoxes have actually helped to improve the human rights protections over the years. Readers will find in a single volume a historically informed, argument driven account of the erratic evolution of U.S. human rights policy over the past 35 years; a period during which concern for human rights became a major factor in foreign policy decision making.
"Understanding U.S. Human Rights Policy" provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the complex and, often vexing problem of understanding the formation of U.S. Human Rights policy that could be used as a supplement in courses on human rights, foreign policy analysis and decision making, and the history of U.S. foreign policy.

Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy provides a comprehensive historical overview and analysis of the complex and often vexing problem of understanding the formation of U.S. human rights policy. The proper place of human rights and fundamental freedoms in U.S. foreign policy has long been debated among scholars, politicians, and the American public. Clair Apodaca argues that the history of U.S.human rights policy unfolds as a series of prevarications that are the result of presidential preferences, along with the conflict and cooperation among bureaucratic actors. Through a series of chapters devoted to U.S. presidential administrations from Richard Nixon to the present, she delivers a comprehensive historical, social, and cultural context to understand the development and implementation of U.S. human rights policy. For each administration, she pays close attention to how ideology, bureaucratic politics, lobbying, and competition affect the inclusion or exclusion of human rights in the economic and military aid allocation decisions of the United States. She further demonstrates that from the inception of U.S. human rights policy, presidents have attempted to tell only part of the truth or to reformulate the truth by redefining the meaning of the terms "human rights," "democracy," or "torture," for example. In this way, human rights policy has been about prevarication. Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy is a key text for students, which will appeal to all readers who will find a historically informed, argument driven account of the erratic evolution of U.S. human rights policy since the Nixon Administration.