The Self-Exempting Activist: Sweden and the International Human Rights Regime

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.

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18. Human Rights

Politics in the Developing World ◽

10.1093/hepl/9780198737438.003.0018 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael Freeman

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

World War Ii ◽

Cultural Relativism ◽

Cultural Imperialism ◽

World War ◽

International Human Rights ◽

Human Rights Regime ◽

The World ◽

History Of ◽

International Human

This chapter examines the concept of human rights, which derives primarily from the Charter of the United Nations adopted in 1945 immediately after World War II. It first provides a brief account of the history of the concept of human rights before describing the international human rights regime. It then considers two persistent problems that arise in applying the concept of human rights to the developing world: the relations between the claim that the concept is universally valid and the realities of cultural diversity around the world; and the relations between human rights and development. In particular, it explores cultural imperialism and cultural relativism, the human rights implications of the rise of political Islam and the so-called war on terror(ism), and globalization. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the new political economy of human rights.

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

Mobilizing for Human Rights ◽

10.1017/cbo9780511811340.002 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 23-56

Author(s):

Beth A. Simmons

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Human Rights ◽

International Law ◽

International Human Rights ◽

Human Rights Regime ◽

International Human

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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 ◽

International Human Rights Law ◽

Human Rights Law ◽

Domestic Sphere ◽

International Human Rights ◽

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.

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