1st Edition

Effective Strategies for Protecting Human Rights Economic Sanctions, Use of National Courts and International fora and Coercive Power

Edited By David Barnhizer Copyright 2001
    294 Pages
    by Routledge

    This title was first published in 2001: This book brings together the experiences of a diverse range of leading human rights advocates and activists to demonstrate strategies for protecting human rights. The volume identifies strategic problems and approaches and offers a range of strategies that hold promise for sanctioning human rights offenders and for inhibiting the behaviour of those who might otherwise engage in such activities. The contributors include, inter alia, Noam Chomsky, Justice Richard Goldstone of the Constitutional Court of South Africa who served as Chief Prosecutor of the UN War Crimes Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and David Rawson, United States Ambassador to Rwanda during the tragic genocide. Those who work in the disparate field of human rights increasingly understand the need to see the system strategically rather than piecemeal. This volume captures their insights and looks at both private and public actors, including the uses and limitations of international fora to prosecute violations.

    Contents: Human rights as a strategic system, David Barnhizer; Human rights priorities and responsibilities for citizens, Noam Chomsky; Torture in the United States - connecting international human rights standards to abuse in American prisons, Bonnie Kerness; Tactical innovations for human rights, Douglas A. Johnson and Kate Kelsch; The Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, a victim-centered approach, Brian Concannon Jr.; Toward a more responsive sovereignty: confronting human rights violations through national reconstruction, Jennifer Moore; Protecting civilians in conflict and post-conflict reconstruction, Kate Robertson; Babe Politics and the victim subject: negotiating agency in women’s human rights, Ratna Kapur; Human rights and the future of international politics: realism and global humanism, Robert Charlick; A different look at sovereignty, Anthony D’Amato; International jurisdiction and prosecutorial crimes, Richard J. Goldstone; Coping with chaos while acting justly: lessons from Rwanda, David Rawson; The United States approach to international human rights law, David Weissbrodt; Prosecuting violations of human rights in U.S. courts: a primer for the justice department on the convention against torture, William J. Aceves; Why the international criminal court should have jurisdiction over contemporary forms of slavery, James G. Wilson; Will history repeat itself? case studies of systemic constraints on defence counsel in historic international war crimes trials and the need for resource parity, Richard J. Wilson; The (al) lure of the genocide trial: justice, reconciliation, and reconstruction in Rwanda, Mark Drumbl; The rights of indigenous peoples to a healthy environment and use of natural resources under international human rights law, Bradford C. Mank; Civil remedies for gross human rights violations, Michael Ratner; Holding multinational corporations accountable for human and environmental rights abuses, Richard Herz; Index.
    ’With the two-volumes of Effective Strategies for Protecting Human Rights, David Barnhizer successfully combines essays from activists, theorists, critics, and notable participants in current struggles for human rights. The collectives present wise insights and challenging lessons both for those with experience and those new to human rights debates.’ Martha Minow, Professor of Law, Harvard University, USA ’These two volumes on effective strategies for protecting human rights are a wonderfully rich resource. The essays, which speak to a variety of important contemporary issues, are both thoughtful and provocative. Highly recommended for all scholars and students of international human rights.’ Michael J. Perry, Distinguished Chair in Law, Wake Forest University, USA