Human Rights and Societies in Transition

by Horowitz, Shale Asher; Schnabel, Albrecht

• ISBN13: 9789280810929
• ISBN10: 9280810928
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-06-01
• Publisher: United Nations Univ

Summary

Human rights violations are often particularly severe in transition societies undergoing significant political, social and economic transformations. Improving human rights practices in transition societies should therefore be a central goal for domestic reformers and the international community alike, not only because of the intrinsic value of improved human rights protection, but also because of the indirect effects that such improvements have on democratisation, economic development, and conflict resolution. The book contains papers from a number of international scholars in the fields of political science, sociology, law, and regional studies, which explore contemporary international human rights issues, factors predominantly responsible for human rights violations in transition societies, long-term consequences of such violations, and political remedies.

Author Biography

Shale Horowitz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Albrecht Schnabel is a Senior Research Fellow at swisspeace -- Swiss Peace Foundation, Bern

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables	x
Note on measurements	xii
Acknowledgements	xiii
Introduction	1	(2)
Human rights and societies in transition: International context and sources of variation	3	(24)
Shale Horowitz
Albrecht Schnabel
Part One: Defining, delimiting, and understanding human rights in societies in transition	27	(74)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a norm for societies in transition	29	(23)
Johannes Morsink
Universalism and cultural relativism: Lessons for transitional states	52	(25)
Richard Lewis Siegel
From global norms to local change: Theoretical perspectives on the promotion of human rights in societies in transition	77	(24)
Genevieve Souillac
Part Two: Monitoring, promoting, and enforcing human rights	101	(88)
The United Nations and human rights	103	(16)
W. Ofuatey-Kodjoe
The consequences of the war crimes tribunals and an international criminal court for human rights in transition societies	119	(22)
Paul J. Magnarella
International efforts to protect human rights in transition societies: Right, duty, or politics?	141	(23)
Albrecht Schnabel
Democratic transitions and foreign policy: The United States	164	(25)
Barbara Ann J. Rieffer
David P. Forsythe
Part Three: Sources of human rights violations and their impact on peace, democratization, and economic development	189	(224)
Sources and consequences of human rights violations in Iraq	191	(27)
Jenab Tutunji
Exploring the dynamics of human rights and reform: Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey	218	(24)
Mahmood Monshipouri
Causes and consequences of variation in post-communist human rights practices	242	(24)
Shale Horowitz
Human rights and conflict in the former Yugoslavia	266	(25)
Aleksandar Resanovic
Human rights in transition societies: The cases of Somalia and South Africa	291	(24)
Wafula Okumu
Human rights and transition societies in Western Africa	315	(24)
Eghosa E. Osaghae
Political development and democratic rights in Greater China	339	(24)
Man-To Leung
Human rights in India	363	(26)
D.R. Kaarthikeyan
Human rights, the military, and the transition to democracy in Argentina and South Korea	389	(24)
Terence Roehrig
Conclusion	413	(17)
Protecting human rights in transition societies: Lessons and recommendations	415	(15)
Albrecht Schnabel
Shale Horowitz
Abbreviations and acronyms	430	(4)
Contributors	434	(6)
Index	440