Why International Law? The Development of the International Human Rights Regime in the Twentieth Century

Human Rights Regime ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

This chapter highlights the conclusions and contributions of theresearch: obligation to international law can constrain leaders from violating human rights-and encourage potential dissidents to revolt against their governments. The argument that human rights treaties "work" is contrary to the explanations of a wide variety of scholars who maintain that the international human rights regime has been an abject failure. Although scholars have found evidence that domestic institutions can lead to decreased repression, there has been little support for the argument that international institutions do so.In contrast, this book finds that-if international law creates even the smallest shift in assumptions over domestic consequences for repressive authorities-these effects can yield a substantively meaningful reduction in rights violations when leaders have significant stakes in domestic conflicts.

International Constitutional Law and Judicial Review of Domestic Human Rights Legislation

ICL Journal ◽

10.1515/icl-2018-0064 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 87-118

Author(s):

Laura-Stella Enonchong

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Constitutional Law ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Domestic Sphere ◽

Human Rights Regime ◽

International Human ◽

Human Rights Norms

Abstract This article discusses the idea of international human rights law as ‘constitutional law’. It applies the French concept of Le contrôle de conventionnalité des lois, to demonstrate the constitutional potentials of international human rights law in the domestic sphere. In most monist constitutional systems based on the French civilian model, international law takes precedence over acts of parliament and other domestic legislation. Due in part to that hierarchy, conventionnalité permits the courts to review domestic law for compatibility with international law. From that perspective, international human rights norms can be said to have assumed a ‘para-constitutional’ function. Using two case studies from francophone Africa, this article argues that conventionnalité has the potential to play a significant role in the domestic implementation of international human rights and ultimately contributing to a more comprehensive domestic human rights regime.

Signaling commitments, making concessions: Democratization and state ratification of international human rights treaties, 1966–2006

Rationality and Society ◽

10.1177/1043463114546313 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 475-508 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Min Zhou

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Political Competition ◽

Empirical Support ◽

Dynamic State ◽

Promoting Effect ◽

Human Rights Regime ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

How is the establishment of the international human rights regime possible in the first place? Bringing together theories from international law, political science, and sociology, I revisit the argument that global efforts to institutionalize human rights into international law are mainly driven by states undergoing democratization. Political democratization is crucial to the creation of the international human rights regime, because it generates “commitment” and “concession” mechanisms that motivate states to support human rights treaties. Analyzed by Cox event history models, the data on state ratification of the core United Nations human rights treaties from 1966 through 2006 are consistent with this argument. Improvement in human rights and increased political competition do significantly increase the rate of state ratification of human rights treaties. The ratification-promoting effect of democratization also operates in an immediate fashion. Overall, this study provides empirical support for the dynamic state-oriented explanation for global legalization of human rights and suggests a close connection between global democratization waves and the establishment of the human rights regime.

The Protection of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples in International Law: A Comparative Temporal Analysis

International Journal on Minority and Group Rights ◽

10.1163/157181110x512142 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 393-422

Author(s):

Joshua Castellino

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Indigenous Peoples ◽

Minority Rights ◽

Temporal Analysis ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Human Rights Regime ◽

AbstractIt is easy to detect a sense of achievement with the extent to which the human rights regime has progressed 60 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The relative international successes suggest a bright outlook for the future of the human rights regime. However, an important lacuna remains in the attention that ought to be paid to minorities, indigenous peoples and others in vulnerable situations, including in some instances, women. This paper argues that despite the creation of sophisticated systems of international human rights law, the regimes for the protection of minority rights were stronger before the United Nations (UN) era. In support of this argument it seeks to assess regimes that existed at three different times, attempting to extrapolate and analyse the snapshots presented by these through the lens of evolving human rights law.

Conceptions And Interpretations of Human Rights in Europe and Asia: Normative Aspects

E-Theologos Theological revue of Greek Catholic Theological Faculty ◽

10.2478/v10154-010-0011-9 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 117-135

Author(s):

Bożena Drzewicka

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

International Humanitarian Law ◽

Humanitarian Law ◽

The West ◽

Human Rights Protection ◽

Rights Protection ◽

The World ◽

Conceptions And Interpretations of Human Rights in Europe and Asia: Normative AspectsThe issue of confronting values between civilizations has become very important. It influences not only the level of international politics but also the international normative activity. It is very interesting for the modern international law and its doctrine. The most important factor of causing huge changes in the system of international law is still the international human rights protection and the international humanitarian law which is related to it. It is very difficult to create one catalogue of executive instruments and procedures but it is possible to influence the attitude toward the basic paradigms. The frictions appear from time to time and move to other planes. The West and Asia are still antagonists in the dialogue on the future of the world. The article is a contribution to the intercivilizational dialogue.

The Review of Articles from Korea International Law Review (Vol. 1-49): International Human Rights Law

Korea International Law Review ◽

10.25197/kilr.2018.51.45 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 45-62

Author(s):

Buhm Suk Baek

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Contemporary International Tribunals

10.1093/oso/9780190923846.003.0009 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Antônio Augusto ◽

Cançado Trindade

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

International Criminal ◽

International Criminal Tribunals ◽

International Human ◽

International Tribunals ◽

Cross Fertilization

More recently, jurisprudential cross-fertilization has kept on being pursued in particular by international human rights tribunals and international criminal tribunals. This is reassuring, as, despite their distinct jurisdictions, their work is complementary, in their common mission of imparting justice, in distinct domains of international law. Jurisprudential cross-fertilization fosters cohesion and the unity of law. Particularly attention is currently devoted to the preservation of the legacy of the ad hoc international criminal tribunals.

The Margin of Appreciation Revisited

10.1093/oso/9780198713258.003.0018 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

George Letsas

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Democratic Institutions ◽

Margin Of Appreciation ◽

The idea that states have discretion in complying with their human rights obligations, and the idea that human rights obligations should be compatible with a degree of diversity between states, are either trivial or misleading. In order to assess properly the doctrine of the Margin of Appreciation, one has to reconstruct it as a normative thesis about the conditions under which an international human rights court should place substantial weight on a decision by a domestic authority. Thus understood, however, the doctrine is problematic as it offends the values underlying human rights and the rule of international law. The chapter evaluates Andreas Follesdal’s particular defence of the Margin of Appreciation and argues that neither sovereignty nor democracy provides normative support for unqualified judicial deference. It argues further that the exceptions Follesdal wishes to place on deference to democratic institutions end up covering the whole of the scope of human rights obligations, making the idea of deference redundant.

The Idea of International Human Rights Law

10.1093/oso/9780198749844.001.0001 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Steven Wheatley

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Fragmentation Of International Law

Moral Concept ◽

Customary International Law ◽

Human Rights Treaties ◽

International Human ◽

International Human Rights Law has emerged as an academic subject in its own right, separate from, but still related to, International Law. This book explains the distinctive nature of the new discipline by examining the influence of the moral concept of human rights on general international law. Rather than make use of moral philosophy or political theory, the work explains the term ‘human rights’ by examining its usage in international law practice, on the understanding that words are given meaning through their use. Relying on complexity theory to make sense of the legal practice in the United Nations, the core human rights treaties, and customary international law, The Idea of International Human Rights Law shows how a moral concept of human rights emerged, and then influenced the international law doctrine and practice on human rights, a fact that explains the fragmentation of international law and the special nature of International Human Rights Law.

Germany

10.1093/oso/9780198786627.003.0006 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Valentin Aichele

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

Direct Effect ◽

Federal Courts ◽

Persons With Disabilities ◽

Public International Law ◽

Monitoring Mechanism ◽

International Human ◽

Human Rights Norms

This chapter analyses the use and interpretation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in sixty-nine decisions of German federal courts between 2009 and mid-2016. German courts’ failure to be proactive in demonstrating ‘friendliness towards public international law’ when dealing with international human rights norms has been criticised. The National CRPD Monitoring Mechanism addressed problems in the application of the law. This chapter investigates the courts’ understanding of basic CRPD concepts, judicial techniques, interpretation methods and specific CRPD provisions. The importance of the concepts of self-executing provisions and direct effect is discussed. In quantitative terms, German courts have referred to the CRPD more often than any other UN international human rights instrument. Furthermore, in qualitative terms, federal courts have become more receptive towards the CRPD. However, it is clear that much of the potential for courts to use the CRPD in the realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities remains untapped.