The development of human rights norms is one of the most significant achievements in international relations and law since 1945, but the continuing influence of human rights is increasingly being questioned by authoritarian governments, nationalists, and pundits. Unfortunately, the proliferation of new rights, linking rights to other issues such as international crimes or the activities of business, and attempting to address every social problem from a human rights perspective risk undermining their credibility. Rescuing Human Rights calls for understanding 'human rights' as international human rights law and maintaining the distinctions between binding legal obligations on governments and broader issues of ethics, politics, and social change. Resolving complex social problems requires more than simplistic appeals to rights, and adopting a 'radically moderate' approach that recognizes both the potential and the limits of international human rights law, offers the best hope of preserving the principle that we all have rights, simply because we are human.

This thoroughly revised edition of what has become the standard work in its field continues the original focus on the "nuts and bolts" of international human rights law and practice. Hurst Hannum and the contributors to this volume describe in detail regimes and procedures which have been developed during the past decade and evaluate the effectiveness of procedures which were only in their infancy in the early 1980s.The fifteen contributors, all specialists in their fields, offer a panoramic yet meticulously detailed survey of the many and varied techniques now available for the protection of human rights at global, regional, and national levels. A fully revised and updated set of appendixes, including a bibliographic essay which itself serves as a miniguide to the flourishing human rights literature, contains additional information useful to human rights lawyers, nongovernmental personnel, academics, and others interested in making the promotion and protection of human rights a reality.As democratization and other changes sweep through the world, the Guide seeks to ensure that human rights will have an important and influential place in whatever "new world order" the diplomats may devise.

The year 1988 marked the fortieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly as "a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations." The principles of the Declaration have become the foundation of a new international law of human rights, which has been translated into international treaties, constitutional provisions, and foreign policy precepts around the world.New Directions in Human Rights examines the contemporary and future role of international law and practice in the "real world." Written by both practitioners and scholars, the book describes the successes and failures of the international human rights movement in a comprehensive and pragmatic manner. The contributing authors take a progressive view of this ever-expanding field and suggest areas on which those concerned with developing and implementing human rights should focus.The authors write on such topics as the contribution human rights can make in armed conflicts; the relevance of international standards to human rights issues; development of a new human rights standard for extradition as a response to political crimes; the prospects for international implementation of women's rights; traditional international law and modern human rights in conflicts in which minority interests run counter to the rights of the majority; the application of international human rights norms in federal and state courts; and redressing past abuses of human rights.

The development of human rights norms is one of the most significant achievements in international relations and law since 1945, but the continuing influence of human rights is increasingly being questioned by authoritarian governments, nationalists, and pundits. Unfortunately, the proliferation of new rights, linking rights to other issues such as international crimes or the activities of business, and attempting to address every social problem from a human rights perspective risk undermining their credibility. Rescuing Human Rights calls for understanding 'human rights' as international human rights law and maintaining the distinctions between binding legal obligations on governments and broader issues of ethics, politics, and social change. Resolving complex social problems requires more than simplistic appeals to rights, and adopting a 'radically moderate' approach that recognizes both the potential and the limits of international human rights law, offers the best hope of preserving the principle that we all have rights, simply because we are human.

Demands for "autonomy" or minority rights have given rise to conflicts, often violent, in every region of the world and under every political system. Through an analysis of contemporary international legal norms and an examination of several specific case studies - including Hong Kong, India, the transnational problems of the Kurds and Saamis, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Spain, Sri Lanka, and the Sudan - this book goes beyond mere slogans and identifies a framework in which ethnic, religious, and regional conflicts can be addressed. This newly revised edition includes two new chapters which expand and update both the topical discussions and the case studies included in the first edition.

Living in the age of American "hyperpower" the relevance of both international law and conflict resolution have been called into question. Hannum and Babbitt, highly respected practitioners in these respective fields, have collected a series of experts to examine the relationship between these two disciplines. Focusing on self-determination, a particularly thorny issue of international law, Negotiating Self-Determination takes an in-depth look at what an understanding of conflict analysis can bring to this field and the impact that international legal norms could potentially have on the work of conflict resolvers in self-determination conflicts. Allen Buchanan's philosophical writings consider the goals of secessionists, Erin Jenne uses quantitative analysis to explain the conditions under which secessionist movements come into existence, and Anke Hoeffler and Paul Collier study the economic basis for secessionist movements. This well-researched volume looks beyond the international law and policy fields of the editors to philosophy, anthropology, political science, and economy to assist in gaining a more complete understanding of self-determination and conflict prevention.

Living in the age of American 'hyperpower' the relevance of both international law and conflict resolution have been called into question. Hannum and Babbitt, highly respected practitioners in these respective fields, have collected a series of experts to examine the relationship between these two disciplines. Focusing on self-determination, a particularly thorny issue of international law, Negotiating Self-Determination takes an in-depth look at what an understanding of conflict analysis can bring to this field and the impact that international legal norms could potentially have on the work of conflict resolvers in self-determination conflicts. Allen Buchanan's philosophical writings consider the goals of secessionists, Erin Jenne uses quantitative analysis to explain the conditions under which secessionist movements come into existence, and Anke Hoeffler and Paul Collier study the economic basis for secessionist movements. This well-researched volume looks beyond the international law and policy fields of the editors to philosophy, anthropology, political science, and economy to assist in gaining a more complete understanding of self-determination and conflict prevention.

The Universal Declaration for Human Rights was approved in 1948 and yet more than fifty years later some human rights-especially the rights of groups such as women, minorities, and indigenous peoples-continue to be at risk. This book examines recent humanitarian catastrophes involving such groups and suggests how the society of states may develop a collective capacity for human rights enforcement. Above all, it emphasizes the long term efforts to stabilize weak or failing societies and to develop democratic governments on which the protection of human rights ultimately depends.