The Politics of Human Rights: A Global Perspective, 2nd Edition (Human Security in the Global Economy)

In the past, violations of human rights were commonly portrayed as atrocities perpetrated by tyrannical dictatorships. Today, the images of torture at Abu Ghraib gaol, and the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, put the lie to this assumption. State violations of human rights have a global reach. This new edition of Tony Evan's introduction to the politics of human rights examines the impact globalization is having on human rights worldwide. He argues that the state’s role in protecting and promoting rights has been severely weakened under globalization – and that the emerging global order may be a cause of many human rights violations. As the value of the market grows, the value of individual human rights decreases. Tony Evans departs from traditional interpretations of human rights by focusing on the political economy of human rights, rather than on the philosophical or legal aspects. He analyses how issues related to globalization, such as the environment, population movement patterns and free trade impact on individual human rights. Rejecting liberal assumptions about globalization, Evans argues that human rights continue to be determined by hierarchies of knowledge and power. In the past, violations of human rights were commonly portrayed as atrocities perpetrated by tyrannical dictatorships. Today, the images of torture at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, and the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, put the lie to this assumption. State violations of human rights have a global reach. Tony Evan's introduction to the politics of human rights examines the impact of globalisation on global human rights. He argues that the state's role in protecting and promoting rights has been severely weakened under globalisation – and that the emerging global order may be a cause of many human rights violations. As the value of the market grows, the value of individual human rights decreases. The Politics of Human Rights departs from traditional interpretations of human rights by focusing on the political economy of human rights, rather than on the philosophical or legal aspects. This book takes a critical look at the state of universal human rights in the context of globalization. Tony Evans argues that the state's central role in protecting and promoting rights has been severely weakened under globalization and that as a consequence human rights are becoming less attainable. As the value of the market grows, the value of individual human rights decreases.

The author departs from traditional interpretations of human rights by focusing on the political economy of human rights rather than on the philosophical or legal aspects. He analyses how issues related to globalization, such as the environment, population movement patterns and free trade impact on individual human rights. In conclusion, he argues that the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other major treaties must be renegotiated to take globalization into account.
Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Series Introduction -- Preface -- Introduction: Globalization and the Study of Universal Human Rights -- 1 The Politics of Universal Human Rights -- 2 The Discourse of Universal Human Rights -- 3 International Human Rights Law and Global Politics -- 4 The Political Economy of Human Rights -- 5 Globalization, Democracy and Human Rights -- 6 The Promise of Global Community and Human Rights -- Bibliography -- Index Tony Evans argues that the state's central role in protecting and promoting rights has been severely weakened under the pressure of globalisation and that as a consequence human rights are increasingly under threat The creation of the United Nations placed universal human rights at the centre of global politics.