US hegemony and the project of universal human rights

Abstract

Description Human rights is often claimed as the 'idea' of our time. However, although considerable time, energy and resources have been invested in the idea, and extravagant claims are often made about progress in providing machinery for the protection of human rights, there are few signs that violations are any less common than in the past. This book argues that while the USA was instrumental in establishing the 'idea' of human rights as a dominant theme in the day-to-day rhetoric of international relations, powerful economic and political interests succeeded in ensuring that a strong international regime for the protection of human rights did not emerge. Contents The Mountbatten Centre for International Studies - Acknowledgements - Introduction - Universal Human Rights and International Regimes - Human Rights and Post-War Reconstruction - An International Bill of Human Rights - Human Rights and Hegemony - The International Covenants on Human Rights - Implementation and Foreign Policy - Conclusion and Speculation - Appendix I: Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Appendix II: International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - Appendix III: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - Bibliography - Index.