Foreign Policy and Human Rights

Abstract

Abstract In this review, we explain how human rights research can inform the study of foreign policy analysis (FPA), namely by surveying where certain foreign policy actions (sanctions, military intervention, foreign aid) can help or harm human rights outcomes and showing how action by external non-state actors may motivate domestic respect for human rights. Evidence shows this is especially likely when international civil society effectively frames an issue. A review of published work further reveals that respect for human rights lowers the risk of war and terrorism. We also consider how FPA research can influence the study of human rights, focusing on the effects of state identity on domestic and foreign policy and the feedback loop between domestic and international norms. Research further indicates that non-state actors, especially non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the public, and the media, play a role in defining appropriate foreign policies related to human rights.