Human Rights and Security: Europe on the Eve of a New Era

Inquiries into the relationship between security and human rights are of very recent vintage. They have long been hampered by political scientists' predilection for political "realism." From that perspective, there seemed little doubt that power comes first and any human rights but a poor second. As wishful thinking turned into reality during the Eastern European revolutions of 1989, the limitations of such shortsighted realism became apparent. This book examines the causes and consequences of the emerging new relationship between security and human rights. It is divided into two parts, which deal respectively with security and human rights and their relationship to states and societies. What is the theoretical linkage between security and human rights? How has this linkage evolved within the context of East-West relations? What was the particular role of the Helsinki process in shaping this evolution? How do these issues affect the difficult transition from dictatorship to pluralism in countries facing the challenge of ethnic, economic, and social dislocation? The contributors to this volume seek to deepen our understanding of the forces that brought about the collapse of communism in Europe, and they explore the broader implications of change for the emerging post-cold war international order.