Aryeh Neier
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691135151
- eISBN:
- 9781400841875
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691135151.003.0008
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
This chapter analyzes Amnesty International, the best known and by far the largest human rights organization in the world, which was established in London in 1961. Its creation was a major milestone ...
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This chapter analyzes Amnesty International, the best known and by far the largest human rights organization in the world, which was established in London in 1961. Its creation was a major milestone in the emergence of an enduring human rights movement. From the start it was intended to be a global organization. That is, those who would participate in its efforts would come from all over the world, and those on whose behalf it campaigned would be persons everywhere who suffered abuses of human rights. Today, Amnesty International is probably somewhat less influential, both in the United States and globally, than it was at its high point in the 1970s and the 1980s. Some would argue that this reflects the extension or dilution of its mandate to cover the full range of human rights issues, including economic and social rights.Less
This chapter analyzes Amnesty International, the best known and by far the largest human rights organization in the world, which was established in London in 1961. Its creation was a major milestone in the emergence of an enduring human rights movement. From the start it was intended to be a global organization. That is, those who would participate in its efforts would come from all over the world, and those on whose behalf it campaigned would be persons everywhere who suffered abuses of human rights. Today, Amnesty International is probably somewhat less influential, both in the United States and globally, than it was at its high point in the 1970s and the 1980s. Some would argue that this reflects the extension or dilution of its mandate to cover the full range of human rights issues, including economic and social rights.
Wendy H. Wong
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801450792
- eISBN:
- 9780801466069
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801450792.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter focuses on Amnesty International, the classic case of an NGO which has a centralized system for proposal and enforcement powers and a decentralized system for implementation. Amnesty ...
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This chapter focuses on Amnesty International, the classic case of an NGO which has a centralized system for proposal and enforcement powers and a decentralized system for implementation. Amnesty forged a structure and a technique that led to its political salience as an important agenda setter in terms of both ideas and organizational salience during the Cold War. While previous transnational organizations had largely struggled with centralized agenda setting, Amnesty was the first to have a strong central office—the International Secretariat—which controls proposal and enforcement powers of the agenda despite strong national sections throughout Europe. Since the end of the Cold War, this body has gone through some changes, which have solidified the Secretariat's agenda-setting powers.Less
This chapter focuses on Amnesty International, the classic case of an NGO which has a centralized system for proposal and enforcement powers and a decentralized system for implementation. Amnesty forged a structure and a technique that led to its political salience as an important agenda setter in terms of both ideas and organizational salience during the Cold War. While previous transnational organizations had largely struggled with centralized agenda setting, Amnesty was the first to have a strong central office—the International Secretariat—which controls proposal and enforcement powers of the agenda despite strong national sections throughout Europe. Since the end of the Cold War, this body has gone through some changes, which have solidified the Secretariat's agenda-setting powers.
Sarah S. Stroup
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801450730
- eISBN:
- 9780801464256
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801450730.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This chapter presents how the national origin of human rights international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) acts as a more specific source of constraint and opportunity. It also argues that the ...
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This chapter presents how the national origin of human rights international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) acts as a more specific source of constraint and opportunity. It also argues that the international human rights sector is different in at least four ways from that of humanitarian relief. First, the sector is dominated globally by Amnesty International, whose combined international income is almost eight times larger than that of the next largest INGO, Human Rights Watch. Second, human rights INGOs are fewer in number and smaller in size than in the humanitarian sector. Third, many human rights nongovernment organization worldwide have been created and sustained by contributions from American grant-making foundations. Lastly, human rights INGOs are in general much more involved in advocacy and political action than their humanitarian counterparts.Less
This chapter presents how the national origin of human rights international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) acts as a more specific source of constraint and opportunity. It also argues that the international human rights sector is different in at least four ways from that of humanitarian relief. First, the sector is dominated globally by Amnesty International, whose combined international income is almost eight times larger than that of the next largest INGO, Human Rights Watch. Second, human rights INGOs are fewer in number and smaller in size than in the humanitarian sector. Third, many human rights nongovernment organization worldwide have been created and sustained by contributions from American grant-making foundations. Lastly, human rights INGOs are in general much more involved in advocacy and political action than their humanitarian counterparts.
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226318172
- eISBN:
- 9780226318196
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226318196.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Within the context provided by the human rights tradition and the structure of Amnesty International, local human rights activists in the United States and other countries pursue the cause of ...
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Within the context provided by the human rights tradition and the structure of Amnesty International, local human rights activists in the United States and other countries pursue the cause of individual liberty and dignity. In the course of this work, activists develop narratives, practices, and their own appropriations of the human rights tradition. They deal with the ambiguities in that tradition. They make decisions about what nature of constraints to impose on their discourse. They think about the balance of concern for private, political, and economic rights, which leads to the question of the extent to which various issues should be linked. They grapple with issues about relativism and how to ground human rights. This chapter focuses on this local cultural work with the story of one activist, a story that manifests recurring patterns in the personal narratives of Amnesty members. Then it examines, as cultural practices, the activities Amnesty members engage in and the events they organize. Finally, it considers the various kinds of discourse engaged in by local activists and the explanations they give for the constraints they adopt.Less
Within the context provided by the human rights tradition and the structure of Amnesty International, local human rights activists in the United States and other countries pursue the cause of individual liberty and dignity. In the course of this work, activists develop narratives, practices, and their own appropriations of the human rights tradition. They deal with the ambiguities in that tradition. They make decisions about what nature of constraints to impose on their discourse. They think about the balance of concern for private, political, and economic rights, which leads to the question of the extent to which various issues should be linked. They grapple with issues about relativism and how to ground human rights. This chapter focuses on this local cultural work with the story of one activist, a story that manifests recurring patterns in the personal narratives of Amnesty members. Then it examines, as cultural practices, the activities Amnesty members engage in and the events they organize. Finally, it considers the various kinds of discourse engaged in by local activists and the explanations they give for the constraints they adopt.
Stephen Hart
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226318172
- eISBN:
- 9780226318196
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226318196.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Why have conservatives fared so much better than progressives in recent decades, even though polls show no significant move to the right in public opinion? This book highlights one reason: that ...
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Why have conservatives fared so much better than progressives in recent decades, even though polls show no significant move to the right in public opinion? This book highlights one reason: that progressives often adopt impoverished modes of discourse, ceding the moral high ground to their conservative rivals. The book also shows that some progressive groups are pioneering more robust ways of talking about their issues and values, providing examples other progressives could emulate. Through case studies of grassroots movements—particularly the economic justice work carried on by congregation-based community organizing and the pursuit of human rights by local members of Amnesty International—the book shows how these groups develop distinctive ways of talking about politics and create characteristic stories, ceremonies, and practices. According to this book, the way people engage in politics matters just as much as the content of their ideas: when activists make the moral basis for their activism clear, engage issues with passion, and articulate a unified social vision, they challenge the recent ascendancy of conservative discourse. On the basis of these case studies, the book addresses currently debated topics such as individualism in America and whether strains of political thought strongly informed by religion and moral values are compatible with tolerance and liberty.Less
Why have conservatives fared so much better than progressives in recent decades, even though polls show no significant move to the right in public opinion? This book highlights one reason: that progressives often adopt impoverished modes of discourse, ceding the moral high ground to their conservative rivals. The book also shows that some progressive groups are pioneering more robust ways of talking about their issues and values, providing examples other progressives could emulate. Through case studies of grassroots movements—particularly the economic justice work carried on by congregation-based community organizing and the pursuit of human rights by local members of Amnesty International—the book shows how these groups develop distinctive ways of talking about politics and create characteristic stories, ceremonies, and practices. According to this book, the way people engage in politics matters just as much as the content of their ideas: when activists make the moral basis for their activism clear, engage issues with passion, and articulate a unified social vision, they challenge the recent ascendancy of conservative discourse. On the basis of these case studies, the book addresses currently debated topics such as individualism in America and whether strains of political thought strongly informed by religion and moral values are compatible with tolerance and liberty.
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226318172
- eISBN:
- 9780226318196
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226318196.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter reviews the cultural traditions on which contemporary human rights work relies, with a special focus on three defining documents. Two of these—the French Declaration of the Rights of Man ...
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This chapter reviews the cultural traditions on which contemporary human rights work relies, with a special focus on three defining documents. Two of these—the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen and the U.S. Bill of Rights—date from the age of democratic revolutions. These documents, along with thinkers such as Locke and Voltaire, helped construct the tradition of human rights. The third document is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations shortly after World War II. The UDHR has become the sacred text of the contemporary human rights movement. The discussion of these documents is intended as a sketch of the most important elements of the historical deposit contemporary human rights work draws upon, not an intellectual history of this tradition. The second half of the chapter takes a quick look at the organizational structure and history of Amnesty International and then examines Amnesty's appropriation of the human rights tradition, focusing on the rules it has adopted to govern its work and how it defines its organizational “mandate.”Less
This chapter reviews the cultural traditions on which contemporary human rights work relies, with a special focus on three defining documents. Two of these—the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen and the U.S. Bill of Rights—date from the age of democratic revolutions. These documents, along with thinkers such as Locke and Voltaire, helped construct the tradition of human rights. The third document is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations shortly after World War II. The UDHR has become the sacred text of the contemporary human rights movement. The discussion of these documents is intended as a sketch of the most important elements of the historical deposit contemporary human rights work draws upon, not an intellectual history of this tradition. The second half of the chapter takes a quick look at the organizational structure and history of Amnesty International and then examines Amnesty's appropriation of the human rights tradition, focusing on the rules it has adopted to govern its work and how it defines its organizational “mandate.”
Brian Drohan
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781501714658
- eISBN:
- 9781501714672
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501714658.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
Chapter four explains how allegations that British forces used torture during interrogations led to colonial officials’ efforts to evade scrutiny, deny that abuses had occurred, and impugn the ...
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Chapter four explains how allegations that British forces used torture during interrogations led to colonial officials’ efforts to evade scrutiny, deny that abuses had occurred, and impugn the character of those making accusations. In 1966, Amnesty International advocated for a government investigation of these torture allegations. When ministers proved uninterested in investigating the allegations, Amnesty dispatched an investigator of its own and publicized his findings. In response to potential public embarrassment, the Foreign Secretary ordered a limited inquiry that produced a tactful semi-admission that abuses had occurred and recommended several reforms. Officials in Aden appeared to cooperate by implementing the reforms but simultaneously manipulated oversight mechanisms to ensure that the interrogation system remained shielded from scrutiny. Protected by the High Commissioner and other senior officials in Aden, interrogators resumed the use of torture.Less
Chapter four explains how allegations that British forces used torture during interrogations led to colonial officials’ efforts to evade scrutiny, deny that abuses had occurred, and impugn the character of those making accusations. In 1966, Amnesty International advocated for a government investigation of these torture allegations. When ministers proved uninterested in investigating the allegations, Amnesty dispatched an investigator of its own and publicized his findings. In response to potential public embarrassment, the Foreign Secretary ordered a limited inquiry that produced a tactful semi-admission that abuses had occurred and recommended several reforms. Officials in Aden appeared to cooperate by implementing the reforms but simultaneously manipulated oversight mechanisms to ensure that the interrogation system remained shielded from scrutiny. Protected by the High Commissioner and other senior officials in Aden, interrogators resumed the use of torture.
Robyn Linde
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190601379
- eISBN:
- 9780190601393
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190601379.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics, Comparative Politics
Chapter 5 discusses the role of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the creation and diffusion of the globalized child, as Western norms about children regarding age, development, ...
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Chapter 5 discusses the role of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the creation and diffusion of the globalized child, as Western norms about children regarding age, development, maturity, and culpability came to shape the model of childhood that would be applied to all children in all states, economies, and cultures in the postwar era. The chapter then discusses the campaign by Amnesty International and its American chapter (AIUSA) against the death penalty for juvenile offenders (the child death penalty). AIUSA’s moral authority and innovative use of international law allowed it to successfully agitate for change. The 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is contextualized within these two case studies, which consider how diverse states and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations helped to enshrine the global model of childhood into law. Finally, the role of late period agency in efforts to abolish the child death penalty is discussed.Less
Chapter 5 discusses the role of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the creation and diffusion of the globalized child, as Western norms about children regarding age, development, maturity, and culpability came to shape the model of childhood that would be applied to all children in all states, economies, and cultures in the postwar era. The chapter then discusses the campaign by Amnesty International and its American chapter (AIUSA) against the death penalty for juvenile offenders (the child death penalty). AIUSA’s moral authority and innovative use of international law allowed it to successfully agitate for change. The 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is contextualized within these two case studies, which consider how diverse states and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations helped to enshrine the global model of childhood into law. Finally, the role of late period agency in efforts to abolish the child death penalty is discussed.
Padraic Kenney
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199375745
- eISBN:
- 9780190840075
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199375745.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History, European Modern History
Though political prisoners are almost always incarcerated for national causes, they became the focus of international support in the twentieth century. The earliest attention was from diaspora ...
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Though political prisoners are almost always incarcerated for national causes, they became the focus of international support in the twentieth century. The earliest attention was from diaspora communities of supporters, for example, among the Irish or among socialists. The International Committee of the Red Cross began with a focus on prisoners of war, expanding to political prisoners after World War I. The New York–based International Committee for Political Prisoners pioneered a nonpartisan approach to political prisoners. Like Amnesty International forty years later, it was an advocate for those who did not engage in violence. New kinds of prisoner assistance in the late twentieth century proved to be building blocks of post-transition civil society.Less
Though political prisoners are almost always incarcerated for national causes, they became the focus of international support in the twentieth century. The earliest attention was from diaspora communities of supporters, for example, among the Irish or among socialists. The International Committee of the Red Cross began with a focus on prisoners of war, expanding to political prisoners after World War I. The New York–based International Committee for Political Prisoners pioneered a nonpartisan approach to political prisoners. Like Amnesty International forty years later, it was an advocate for those who did not engage in violence. New kinds of prisoner assistance in the late twentieth century proved to be building blocks of post-transition civil society.
Aryeh Neier
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691135151
- eISBN:
- 9781400841875
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691135151.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Migration Studies (including Refugee Studies)
This chapter illustrates that many Americans took part in struggles for rights during the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. Though it was a fertile period for those promoting rights within ...
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This chapter illustrates that many Americans took part in struggles for rights during the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. Though it was a fertile period for those promoting rights within the United States, few Americans were concerned in those years with efforts to secure rights in other parts of the world. The emergence of a rights movement in the Soviet Union in the 1960s was little noted, and relatively few in the United States joined Amnesty International, which developed far more rapidly in Europe. Americans concerned about rights in that era could be mobilized to deal with American violations of rights, but not with rights abuses by other governments. Inattention to such matters by those deeply engaged in domestic rights struggles was, in a way, a counterpart to the disdain for international law frequently expressed by partisans of American exceptionalism.Less
This chapter illustrates that many Americans took part in struggles for rights during the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. Though it was a fertile period for those promoting rights within the United States, few Americans were concerned in those years with efforts to secure rights in other parts of the world. The emergence of a rights movement in the Soviet Union in the 1960s was little noted, and relatively few in the United States joined Amnesty International, which developed far more rapidly in Europe. Americans concerned about rights in that era could be mobilized to deal with American violations of rights, but not with rights abuses by other governments. Inattention to such matters by those deeply engaged in domestic rights struggles was, in a way, a counterpart to the disdain for international law frequently expressed by partisans of American exceptionalism.
Brian Drohan
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781501714658
- eISBN:
- 9781501714672
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501714658.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
Chapter three examines the 1964 Radfan campaign. During the campaign, security forces purposefully targeted civilian livelihoods by driving the population from their homes, burning food stores, ...
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Chapter three examines the 1964 Radfan campaign. During the campaign, security forces purposefully targeted civilian livelihoods by driving the population from their homes, burning food stores, destroying crops, and killing livestock. These actions created a humanitarian crisis as thousands of refugees fled the violence. With help from a new NGO led by Peter Benenson called Amnesty International, representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sought permission to provide humanitarian aid in the Radfan, but British officials tried to prevent the ICRC from accessing the region. When ICRC access proved impossible to prevent, British authorities reacted by taking advantage of it by promoting the propaganda value of ICRC prison inspections that allowed British officials to claim that they treated detainees humanely.Less
Chapter three examines the 1964 Radfan campaign. During the campaign, security forces purposefully targeted civilian livelihoods by driving the population from their homes, burning food stores, destroying crops, and killing livestock. These actions created a humanitarian crisis as thousands of refugees fled the violence. With help from a new NGO led by Peter Benenson called Amnesty International, representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sought permission to provide humanitarian aid in the Radfan, but British officials tried to prevent the ICRC from accessing the region. When ICRC access proved impossible to prevent, British authorities reacted by taking advantage of it by promoting the propaganda value of ICRC prison inspections that allowed British officials to claim that they treated detainees humanely.
DAVID BOUCHER
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199203529
- eISBN:
- 9780191695490
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199203529.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, International Relations and Politics
This chapter discusses the significance of the 2008 Amnesty International Report on Human Rights for human and women's rights issues. The report recognized the lack of global leadership to eradicate ...
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This chapter discusses the significance of the 2008 Amnesty International Report on Human Rights for human and women's rights issues. The report recognized the lack of global leadership to eradicate gender violence and maintained that women in almost all regions of the world suffer from high degrees of sexual violence. Prior to the release of this report, gender-specific issues had already been addressed at the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, leading to the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women.Less
This chapter discusses the significance of the 2008 Amnesty International Report on Human Rights for human and women's rights issues. The report recognized the lack of global leadership to eradicate gender violence and maintained that women in almost all regions of the world suffer from high degrees of sexual violence. Prior to the release of this report, gender-specific issues had already been addressed at the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, leading to the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Randall Williams
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780816665419
- eISBN:
- 9781452946290
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816665419.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Ethical Issues and Debates
This chapter provides an analysis of Amnesty International’s 1964 disqualification of South African Nelson Mandela as prisoner of conscience. Despite having initially adopted Mandela as a victim of ...
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This chapter provides an analysis of Amnesty International’s 1964 disqualification of South African Nelson Mandela as prisoner of conscience. Despite having initially adopted Mandela as a victim of human rights abuse, the emerging international NGO hastily voted to drop the antiapartheid activist following his trial statement. In his statement, Mandela defended the African National Congress’s use of organized political violence as a necessary and ethical response in the struggle against the racist South African state. Neither the apartheid state nor the international human rights organization accepted Mandela’s argument as he was sentenced to life imprisonment and removed from Amnesty’s worldwide list of prisoners of conscience. Mandela’s disqualification marks the point at which the postwar discourse of human rights becomes a default ally of state violence.Less
This chapter provides an analysis of Amnesty International’s 1964 disqualification of South African Nelson Mandela as prisoner of conscience. Despite having initially adopted Mandela as a victim of human rights abuse, the emerging international NGO hastily voted to drop the antiapartheid activist following his trial statement. In his statement, Mandela defended the African National Congress’s use of organized political violence as a necessary and ethical response in the struggle against the racist South African state. Neither the apartheid state nor the international human rights organization accepted Mandela’s argument as he was sentenced to life imprisonment and removed from Amnesty’s worldwide list of prisoners of conscience. Mandela’s disqualification marks the point at which the postwar discourse of human rights becomes a default ally of state violence.
Nicola Perugini and Neve Gordon
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- June 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199365012
- eISBN:
- 9780199365043
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199365012.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
This introductory chapter problematizes the linear narrative of global redemption through human rights by analyzing the relationship between human rights and domination. Defining domination as a ...
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This introductory chapter problematizes the linear narrative of global redemption through human rights by analyzing the relationship between human rights and domination. Defining domination as a relationship of subjugation characterized by the use of force and coercion, the authors show how actors with different agendas, ideals, and beliefs launch similar types of campaigns articulated through the language of human rights in order to advance opposed political objectives. The chapter argues that precisely because human rights have no essential core, they can be appropriated in various ways and can potentially acquire new political meanings, which may invert already existing ones. Within the current context of convergences, mirroring, and inversions, the instrumentalist conception of human rights—according to which conservatives or militaries deploy human rights merely as a pretext for attaining other political objectives—is revealed to be both empirically and theoretically flawed.Less
This introductory chapter problematizes the linear narrative of global redemption through human rights by analyzing the relationship between human rights and domination. Defining domination as a relationship of subjugation characterized by the use of force and coercion, the authors show how actors with different agendas, ideals, and beliefs launch similar types of campaigns articulated through the language of human rights in order to advance opposed political objectives. The chapter argues that precisely because human rights have no essential core, they can be appropriated in various ways and can potentially acquire new political meanings, which may invert already existing ones. Within the current context of convergences, mirroring, and inversions, the instrumentalist conception of human rights—according to which conservatives or militaries deploy human rights merely as a pretext for attaining other political objectives—is revealed to be both empirically and theoretically flawed.
Samantha Newbery
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719091483
- eISBN:
- 9781781708552
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719091483.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
This chapter completes the book’s coverage of the Aden case by charting the results and reactions that followed the use of the ‘five techniques’ there. It will be shown that not only was ...
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This chapter completes the book’s coverage of the Aden case by charting the results and reactions that followed the use of the ‘five techniques’ there. It will be shown that not only was interrogation successful in producing intelligence, but that this intelligence was used to make improvements to the security situation in Aden. It will also be shown that interrogation was a valuable source of intelligence in relation to other sources. Investigations into allegations of brutality conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Amnesty International are examined, as is the British Government’s response to these investigations, which took the form of the Bowen Inquiry into procedures for the arrest, interrogation and detention of suspects in Aden. These investigations led to increased concern for the welfare of prisoners amongst members of the governments of Aden and the UK.Less
This chapter completes the book’s coverage of the Aden case by charting the results and reactions that followed the use of the ‘five techniques’ there. It will be shown that not only was interrogation successful in producing intelligence, but that this intelligence was used to make improvements to the security situation in Aden. It will also be shown that interrogation was a valuable source of intelligence in relation to other sources. Investigations into allegations of brutality conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Amnesty International are examined, as is the British Government’s response to these investigations, which took the form of the Bowen Inquiry into procedures for the arrest, interrogation and detention of suspects in Aden. These investigations led to increased concern for the welfare of prisoners amongst members of the governments of Aden and the UK.
Wendy H. Wong
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801450792
- eISBN:
- 9780801466069
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801450792.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Why are some international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) more politically salient than others, and why are some NGOs better able to influence the norms of human rights? This book shows how the ...
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Why are some international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) more politically salient than others, and why are some NGOs better able to influence the norms of human rights? This book shows how the organizational structures of human rights NGOs and their campaigns determine their influence on policy. Drawing on data from seven major international organizations—the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Médecins sans Frontières, Oxfam International, Anti-Slavery International, and the International League of Human Rights—the book demonstrates that NGOs that choose to centralize agenda-setting and decentralize the implementation of that agenda are more successful in gaining traction in international politics. Challenging the conventional wisdom that the most successful NGOs are those that find the “right” cause or have the most resources, the book shows that how NGOs make and implement decisions is critical to their effectiveness in influencing international norms about human rights. Building on the insights of network theory and organizational sociology, the book traces how power works within NGOs and affects their external authority. The internal coherence of an organization, as reflected in its public statements and actions, goes a long way to assure its influence over the often tumultuous elements of the international human rights landscape.Less
Why are some international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) more politically salient than others, and why are some NGOs better able to influence the norms of human rights? This book shows how the organizational structures of human rights NGOs and their campaigns determine their influence on policy. Drawing on data from seven major international organizations—the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Médecins sans Frontières, Oxfam International, Anti-Slavery International, and the International League of Human Rights—the book demonstrates that NGOs that choose to centralize agenda-setting and decentralize the implementation of that agenda are more successful in gaining traction in international politics. Challenging the conventional wisdom that the most successful NGOs are those that find the “right” cause or have the most resources, the book shows that how NGOs make and implement decisions is critical to their effectiveness in influencing international norms about human rights. Building on the insights of network theory and organizational sociology, the book traces how power works within NGOs and affects their external authority. The internal coherence of an organization, as reflected in its public statements and actions, goes a long way to assure its influence over the often tumultuous elements of the international human rights landscape.
Charles Tilly
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- February 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226803500
- eISBN:
- 9780226803531
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226803531.003.0004
- Subject:
- Sociology, Comparative and Historical Sociology
This chapter identifies systematic variations in repertoires across different sorts of regime. It begins by describing regime by regime, locating regimes within the space, and then maps out what ...
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This chapter identifies systematic variations in repertoires across different sorts of regime. It begins by describing regime by regime, locating regimes within the space, and then maps out what varieties of contention predominate in different kinds of regime. Prevailing forms of public, collective claim-making—contentious repertoires—vary significantly from one location to another within regime space. All effective rulers carry on some combination of the four strategies presented. Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International (AI), and Freedom House (FH) provide enough detail to tell the difference among regimes in their responses to contentious repertoires. Vignettes of contention and its control in the regimes of this chapter indicate that locations of regimes with respect to capacity and democracy significantly affect the repertoires of contention that prevail in those regimes. It ends with an argument that repertoires meet regimes in collaboration and conflict.Less
This chapter identifies systematic variations in repertoires across different sorts of regime. It begins by describing regime by regime, locating regimes within the space, and then maps out what varieties of contention predominate in different kinds of regime. Prevailing forms of public, collective claim-making—contentious repertoires—vary significantly from one location to another within regime space. All effective rulers carry on some combination of the four strategies presented. Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International (AI), and Freedom House (FH) provide enough detail to tell the difference among regimes in their responses to contentious repertoires. Vignettes of contention and its control in the regimes of this chapter indicate that locations of regimes with respect to capacity and democracy significantly affect the repertoires of contention that prevail in those regimes. It ends with an argument that repertoires meet regimes in collaboration and conflict.
Robert J. Savage
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719087332
- eISBN:
- 9781781708804
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719087332.003.0005
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This chapter considers BBC reporting on the work of the security services in Northern Ireland between 1976 and the fall of the Labour Government in 1979. It addresses the tenure of Northern Ireland ...
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This chapter considers BBC reporting on the work of the security services in Northern Ireland between 1976 and the fall of the Labour Government in 1979. It addresses the tenure of Northern Ireland Secretary of State Roy Mason and considers his aggressive tactic in trying to defeat the IRA. Particular attention is paid to programmes that criticised British security policy, especially the interrogation techniques which were widely condemned as cruel and degrading. The role of television in undermining British policy is considered.Less
This chapter considers BBC reporting on the work of the security services in Northern Ireland between 1976 and the fall of the Labour Government in 1979. It addresses the tenure of Northern Ireland Secretary of State Roy Mason and considers his aggressive tactic in trying to defeat the IRA. Particular attention is paid to programmes that criticised British security policy, especially the interrogation techniques which were widely condemned as cruel and degrading. The role of television in undermining British policy is considered.
Raymond A. Schroth and S. J.
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823233045
- eISBN:
- 9780823240456
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823233045.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Drinan's expedition to Argentina was in the tradition of his 1969 flight with an investigating committee to Vietnam—a team of concerned human rights activists, this time representing Amnesty ...
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Drinan's expedition to Argentina was in the tradition of his 1969 flight with an investigating committee to Vietnam—a team of concerned human rights activists, this time representing Amnesty International, who wanted to talk to presidents and prisoners, visit scenes of alleged crimes, and question the victims as well as those responsible. They wished to alert the larger world to a local crime that demanded global attention. It was also a foreshadowing of a major direction his life and career were about to take. What he learned in Argentina he would reinforce the next year in El Salvador, and the following year in South Africa and Southeast Asia again, and finally a return to El Salvador and other countries in Central America during what would become his last year in office. But the combined impact of all these experiences would transform him into one of America's leading apostles for human rights, both in and out of office.Less
Drinan's expedition to Argentina was in the tradition of his 1969 flight with an investigating committee to Vietnam—a team of concerned human rights activists, this time representing Amnesty International, who wanted to talk to presidents and prisoners, visit scenes of alleged crimes, and question the victims as well as those responsible. They wished to alert the larger world to a local crime that demanded global attention. It was also a foreshadowing of a major direction his life and career were about to take. What he learned in Argentina he would reinforce the next year in El Salvador, and the following year in South Africa and Southeast Asia again, and finally a return to El Salvador and other countries in Central America during what would become his last year in office. But the combined impact of all these experiences would transform him into one of America's leading apostles for human rights, both in and out of office.
Lawrence Friedman
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231162593
- eISBN:
- 9780231531061
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231162593.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
Erich Fromm was a political activist, psychologist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, and one of the most important intellectuals of the twentieth century. Known for his theories of personality and ...
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Erich Fromm was a political activist, psychologist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, and one of the most important intellectuals of the twentieth century. Known for his theories of personality and political insight, Fromm dissected the sadomasochistic appeal of brutal dictators while also eloquently championing love—which, he insisted, was nothing if it did not involve joyful contact with others and humanity at large. Admired all over the world, Fromm continues to inspire with his message of universal brotherhood and quest for lasting peace. The first systematic study of Fromm’s influences and achievements, this biography revisits the thinker’s most important works, especially Escape from Freedom and The Art of Loving, which conveyed important and complex ideas to millions of readers. This book recounts Fromm’s political activism as a founder and major funder of Amnesty International, the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, and other peace groups. It reveals Fromm’s support for anti-Stalinist democratic movements in Central and Eastern Europe and his efforts to revitalize American democracy. It further reveals Fromm’s direct contact with high officials in the American government on matters of war and peace while accessing a deeper understanding of his conceptual differences with Sigmund Freud, his rapport with Neo-Freudians like Karen Horney and Harry Stack Sullivan, and his association with innovative artists, public intellectuals, and world leaders. The book portrays a man of immense authenticity and spirituality who made life in the twentieth century more humane than it might have been.Less
Erich Fromm was a political activist, psychologist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, and one of the most important intellectuals of the twentieth century. Known for his theories of personality and political insight, Fromm dissected the sadomasochistic appeal of brutal dictators while also eloquently championing love—which, he insisted, was nothing if it did not involve joyful contact with others and humanity at large. Admired all over the world, Fromm continues to inspire with his message of universal brotherhood and quest for lasting peace. The first systematic study of Fromm’s influences and achievements, this biography revisits the thinker’s most important works, especially Escape from Freedom and The Art of Loving, which conveyed important and complex ideas to millions of readers. This book recounts Fromm’s political activism as a founder and major funder of Amnesty International, the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, and other peace groups. It reveals Fromm’s support for anti-Stalinist democratic movements in Central and Eastern Europe and his efforts to revitalize American democracy. It further reveals Fromm’s direct contact with high officials in the American government on matters of war and peace while accessing a deeper understanding of his conceptual differences with Sigmund Freud, his rapport with Neo-Freudians like Karen Horney and Harry Stack Sullivan, and his association with innovative artists, public intellectuals, and world leaders. The book portrays a man of immense authenticity and spirituality who made life in the twentieth century more humane than it might have been.
