Providing an overview of institutional developments and innovations in human rights politics, this volume discusses some of the most important current and emerging human rights issues. It takes stock of the initiatives, policy responses and innovations of past years to identify some of the challenges that will likely require bold and innovative solutions. The contributors focus on actors and/or issues that are outside the mainstream of international human rights politics; the chapters address issues that have only emerged as an important part of the international human rights agenda and generated much advocacy, diplomacy and negotiations since the end of the Cold War. These issues include: the International Criminal Court, the norm of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and its human rights impact, truth commissions, and the rights of persons with disabilities. The contributions offer a direct challenge to entrenched notions of state sovereignty and represent a departure from established ways of policy making.

Negotiating sovereignty and human rights takes the transatlantic conflict over the International Criminal Court as a lens for an enquiry into the normative foundations of international society. The author shows how the way in which actors refer to core norms of the international society such as sovereignty and human rights affect the process and outcome of international negotiations. The book offers an innovative take on the long-standing debate over sovereignty and human rights in international relations. It goes beyond the simple and sometimes ideological duality of sovereignty versus human rights by showing that sovereignty and human rights are not competing principles in international relations, as is often argued, but complement each other. The way in which the two norms and their relationship are understood lies at the core of actors’ broader visions of world order. The author shows how competing interpretations of sovereignty and human rights and the different visions of world order that they imply fed into the transatlantic debate over the ICC and transformed this debate into a conflict over the normative foundations of international society.

Providing an overview of institutional developments and innovations in human rights politics, this volume discusses some of the most important current and emerging human rights issues. It takes stock of the initiatives, policy responses and innovations of past years to identify some of the challenges that will likely require bold and innovative solutions. The contributors focus on actors and/or issues that are outside the mainstream of international human rights politics; the chapters address issues that have only emerged as an important part of the international human rights agenda and generated much advocacy, diplomacy and negotiations since the end of the Cold War. These issues include: the International Criminal Court, the norm of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and its human rights impact, truth commissions, and the rights of persons with disabilities. The contributions offer a direct challenge to entrenched notions of state sovereignty and represent a departure from established ways of policy making.

Providing an overview of institutional developments and innovations in human rights politics, this volume discusses some of the most important current and emerging human rights issues. It takes stock of the initiatives, policy responses and innovations of past years to identify some of the challenges that will likely require bold and innovative solutions. The contributions offer a direct challenge to entrenched notions of state sovereignty and represent a departure from established ways of policy making.

Human rights diplomacy provides an up to date and accessible overview of the field, and serves as a practical guide to those seeking to engage in human rights work. Kelly-Kate Pease uses clear language and practical examples to teach readers the difficult skill of systematically looking at human rights and humanitarian negotiations. After a brief overview of human rights and what is meant by diplomacy, Pease argues that while human rights are internationally recognized, important disagreements exist on definition, priority and implementation. With the help of Human rights diplomacy, these differences can be bridged, and a new generation of human rights professionals will build better relationships.

What is the best way to promote human rights in grossly repressive states when neither sanctions nor trade and investment have much effect? This book examines the concept of Principled Engagement as an often overlooked alternative strategy for alleviating human rights violations and improving the framework of human rights protection. Beginning with an explanation of the concept and a comparison with the alternatives of Ostracism and Business as Usual, the book argues that Principled Engagement deserves greater attention and explains how it works and what factors contribute to its success or failure. Case studies provide a rare scholarly inquiry into the effectiveness of the basic underlying ideas and analyse and assess specific cases, including from China, Burma, Zimbabwe and Liberia. Written by leading academics and practitioners, the book takes a general, comparative approach to human rights policy that teases out broad lessons about what works. Ultimately, this is a study that challenges scholars and practitioners alike to take a fresh look at how human rights are promoted internationally.

A study of how and why amnesties for human rights violations remain a prevalent feature of peace processes in Asia.