This book brings together African and American scholars on human rights and Africa, who look at the broad issues relating to global human rights within the specific context of Africa. The key concerns addressed include notions of traditional human rights, structural adjustment and its effect on human rights, regional integration and the right to development, and political liberalization. In addition to broad themes, the collection looks at instances of human rights concerns in specific states including Liberia (humanitarian intervention), Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya (political liberalization and structural adjustment), Ethiopia (humanitarian assistance), Botswana (traditional human rights formulations), and South Africa (liberation struggle). The volume will be of particular interest to political scientists and legal scholars involved with current African issues as well as human rights organizations and church groups focusing on Africa.

Set against the backdrop of deteriorating living conditions for hundreds of millions of people in developing and debtor countries, this volume concentrates on the structural adjustment policies designed to facilitate debt repayment and to stabilize indebted economies and the effects these policies have on the human rights of affected peoples. Conducted by contributors from various disciplines, this analysis provides distinctive insights into the relationship between international economic decisions and human welfare. The volume begins with general chapters on the issue of world debt; the various perceptions of debtors and creditors and the general consequences of the crisis. The specifics of the right to development are presented along with an explanation of and a rationale for this particular project on debt and human rights. The social, political, and economic consequences of the debt crisis and of the adjustment policies designed to alleviate it are presented by academic analysts as well as economists involved in dealing with poverty and equity issues at the international financial agencies. The book concludes with contributions from NGO representatives. These chapters discuss policy change and popular participation. The complex issues of debt and international economics are examined from a variety of perspectives. World Debt and the Human Condition's unifying element is a shared concern for the advancement of human dignity and the protection of the basic human rights of all those affected by the current international debt crisis and by current international economic policies and development strategies.