Human Rights in International Relations

Author(s):  
David P. Forsythe
2018 ◽  
Vol 112 ◽  
pp. 79-82
Author(s):  
Maria Flores

I first became involved with international law while I was at university. After graduating, I decided to teach public international law. As an undergraduate, I particularly enjoyed this branch of study. I was attracted to it because it helped me to understand the problems, challenges, and breakthroughs in the field of international relations on a global scale. Therefore, after facing a competitive entry process, I joined the international law department of the Universidad de la República. It was a small department, but the university had produced some well-known scholars like Eduardo Jiménez de Aréchaga, who became a judge at the International Court of Justice, and Hector Gross Espiell, who served as a judge at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.


2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-80
Author(s):  
Wolfgang S. Heinz

Abstract: This article approaches the matter of institutional reform of the United Nations Human Rights Council from an international relations perspective. A well-known tension exists between State representatives acting for their governments in international organisations, but whose decisions are presented as UN policies. The latter should be guided primarily by the UN Charter and public international law. However, in reality, different worldviews and foreign policy considerations play a more significant role. In a comprehensive stock-take, the article looks at four major dimensions of the Council, starting with structure and dynamics and major trends, followed by its country and thematic activities, and the role of key actors. Council reform proposals from both States and civil society are explored. Whilst the intergovernmental body remains the most important authority responsible for the protection of human rights in the international sphere, it has also been the subject of considerable criticism. Although it has made considerable progress towards enlarging its coverage and taking on more challenging human rights crises, among some of its major weaknesses are the election of human rights-unfriendly countries into its ranks, the failure to apply stronger sanctions on large, politically influential countries in the South and North, and lack of influence on human rights crises and chronic human rights problems in certain countries. Whilst various reform proposals have emerged from States and NGOs, other more far reaching propositions are under sometimes difficult negotiations. In the mid- to long-term, the UN human rights machinery can only have a stronger and more lasting impact if support from national/local actors and coalitions in politics and society can be strengthened.


Author(s):  
Elena Paraschiv

The evolution of relations between states made necessary the establishment, at aninternational level, of certain behavioural regulations and fundamental principles, whoseviolation may cause prejudices to the collaboration relationships developed among states.Thus, over time these were consecrated by customary rules, treaties or other internationalconventions, imperative norms of conduct, which are strictly imposed to all partners atinternational juridical relations1.Moreover, international norms which aim at respecting the fundamental human rightsand liberties were adopted, thus contributing to the defense of the universal values ofhumanity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 498-510
Author(s):  
Johan Galtung

O texto colige três pequenos textos do pensador norueguês das relações internacionais Johan Galtung, que abordam seus recidivos temas da paz, da pesquisa sobre a paz e dos direitos humanos. O primeiro texto trata de uma homenagem pelos 20 anos da morte do estadista social-democrata alemão Willy Brandt (1913-1992), por cuja política para com o Leste Europeu no final dos anos 1960 (Ostpolitik), que levara à distensão com aqueles países, e futuramente à unificação alemã, recebera o prêmio Nobel da Paz em 1971. O segundo texto apresenta o projeto Hexágono TRANSCEND, cujo objetivo é estudar a geopolítica hexagonal contemporânea, considerando que os grandes polos geopolíticos do mundo atual seriam os EUA, a UE, a Rússia, a China, a Índia e a OMC, todos os quais possuidores de aspectos negativos e positivos, cujo estudo deverá se basear no método triádico diagnóstico-prognóstico-terapia. O terceiro texto foi escrito para o 6º Fórum Social, dedicado à discussão dos 10 artigos da Declaração das Nações Unidas sobre o Direito ao Desenvolvimento (1986), focado no tema dos direitos humanos. Abstract: This paper group three short texts wrote by the Norwegian international relations thinker Johan Galtung, who brought up the peace theme, researching peace and human rights. The first text is about a tribute to the 20th death anniversary of Willy Brandt (1913-1992), German social-democrat statesman, whose policy for the east Europe in the end of 60s (Ostopolitik), which brought dissention to east European countries, and, in time to come, the German unification, received  the Nobel prize in 1971. The second text presents the hexagon project TRANSCEND, whose objective is study the contemporary hexagonal geopolitics, considering that the world's great geopolitics core would be USA, UE, Russia, China, India and the WTO, all bearers of positive and negative aspects, based on diagnoses-prognoses-therapy triadic method. The third text was written to the 6th Social Forum, meeting dedicated to discuss the 10 articles of the United Nations Declaration on the right to development (1986), focusing the human rights theme


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 41-54
Author(s):  
Łukasz Mirocha

Global justice and the problem of immigrationModern legal philosophy provides us with two main types of global justice theories. Distributive or egali­tarian theories claim that justice requires striving to achieve the global equality from us not only in legal but also economic dimension. On the other hand, there are many theories focusing on providing and keeping only „minimal standard” i.e. human rights and questioning the global equality as an ideal. In the article I investigate which type of theories describes contemporary international relations in the most accurate way claiming that „minimal standard” theory does it and I also wonder which type is more legitimate. In my opinion, considerations devoted to the question of global justice give us a well-established background for further studies on immigration policy, especially in the context of recent EU frontiers incidents.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani

Media, Liberty and Politics in Malaysia: Comparative Studies on Local Dynamics and Regional Concernsis based on a collection of twelve academic papers. This book traces the development and progress of Malaysia as a nation that embraces issues of media, liberty and politics as essential parts of its culture, policy and well-being of the people. In between the 2008 and the 2013 General Elections, Malaysians have transformed themselves and demanded to form a more democratic society. Issues of political freedom, human rights, good governance and human dignity have become important and will determine the future of the Malaysian society. Besides, this book also tries to compare democratic practices in Malaysia with its neighbours such as Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, plus the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an organisation to promote democratisation and strong ties between its members. This book is suitable for all particularly the academics, students of politics and international relations, journalists, legal practitioners, and the general public who are interested in the issues of media, liberty and politics in Malaysia.


Author(s):  
Tim Dunne ◽  
Marianne Hanson

This chapter examines the role of human rights in international relations. It first considers the theoretical issues and context that are relevant to the link between human rights and the discipline of international relations, focusing on such concepts as realism, liberalism, and constructivism. It then explores key controversies over human rights as understood in international relations as a field of study: one is the question of state sovereignty; another is the mismatch between the importance attached to human rights at the declaratory level and the prevalence of human rights abuses in reality. The chapter also discusses two dimensions of international responsibility: the duty to protect their citizens that is incumbent on all states in light of their obligations under the various human rights covenants; and the duty of states to act as humanitarian rescuers in instances where a state is collapsing or a regime is committing gross human rights violations.


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