Human Rights in Political Transitions: Gettysburg to Bosnia - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1890951005 ISBN 13: 9781890951009

Publisher: Zone Books, 1999

Synopsis

Arguments for transforming the human rights movement so that it can more effectively address new political realities.This book brings together prominent scholars and political activists to assess the evolution of the international human rights agenda since the end of the Cold War. It argues for a major reorientation of the objectives and strategies of the human rights community in light of the emergence of renewed and often virulent forms of political tyranny and civil conflict. For many years, the primary objective of human rights proponents has been to ensure the adoption, monitoring, and enforcement of international agreements. Our ability to enforce such agreements, however, presupposes cultures in which law is a basic element of the social order. Today the world must deal with extreme cases of human rights abuse in places like Rwanda, Bosnia, Haiti, and Cambodia that involve societies undergoing dramatic political transitions. In these countries violent conflict can be ended only by the establishment of new democratic regimes and the rule of law. In the post-Cold War era it has become increasingly clear that full protection of human rights depends upon the creation of such regimes. Organized around the themes of punishment, reconciliation, and law, the essays argue that the scope of human rights activism must expand beyond human rights agreements to active assistance for transitional societies in the reconstitution of civic and political order.

About this title

About the Author

Carla Hesse is Professor of History at the University of California at Berkeley. Robert Post is the Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of Law at Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley.

Reviews

Human rights, as statesmen and diplomats know, are at the core of contemporary political thought and international action. But are human rights genuinely universal? Can the world community override national sovereignty to enforce respect for human rights? What do we do to prevent future Rwandas and Kosovos? Readers ready to tackle such big political and ethical questions will find plenty to reflect upon in this collection of insightful essays. The distinguished panel of contributors, who range from activists to university law professors, concentrate on four basic themes: punishment, reconciliation, creating a culture of law, and transitions. Well-constructed essays discuss lessons learned in Argentina, Chile, and Haiti and at the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia and build on historical experience to develop new legal concepts. Along the way, it is argued that truly putting the horrors of the 20th century behind us will require even broader recognition of the universality of human rights and that the culture of democracy builds respect for human rights just as it dampens our urge to fight. Recommended for academic libraries.ARaymond Walser, U.S. Dept. of State, Washington, DC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Zone Books
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1890951005
• ISBN 13: 9781890951009
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 344
• Editor: Hesse Carla, Post Robert