David Owen, Human Rights and the Remaking of British Foreign Policy - by David Grealy (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Although the evolution of human rights diplomacy during the second half of the 20th century has been the subject of a wealth of scholarship in recent years, British foreign policy perspectives remain largely underappreciated. Focusing on former Foreign Secretary David Owen's sustained engagement with the related concepts of human rights and humanitarianism, David Owen, Human Rights and the Remaking of British Foreign Policy addresses this striking omission by exploring the relationship between international human rights promotion and British foreign policy between c.1956-1997.

In doing so, this book uncovers how human rights concerns have shaped national responses to foreign policy dilemmas at the intersections of civil society, media, and policymaking; how economic and geopolitical interests have defined the parameters within which human rights concerns influence policy; how human rights considerations have influenced British interventions in overseas conflicts; and how activism on normative issues such as human rights has been shaped by concepts of national identity.

Furthermore, by bringing these issues and debates into focus through the lens of Owen's human rights advocacy, analysis provides a reappraisal of one of the most recognisable, albeit enigmatic, parliamentarians in recent British history. Both within the confines of Whitehall and without, Owen's human rights advocacy served to alter the course of British foreign policy at key junctures during the late Cold War and post-Cold War periods, and provides a unique prism through which to interrogate the intersections between Britain's enduring search for a distinctive 'role' in the world and the development of the international human rights regime during the period in question.

Review Quotes

"This is a masterfully written text. Richly researched, expertly articulated, and containing numerous fascinating nuggets of information about the ethical dilemmas of statecraft. It is sure to be a key text in understanding human rights and British foreign policy in the latter part of the twentieth century." --Journal of British Studies

"This in-depth analysis locates the place of the United Kingdom in the human rights breakthrough of the 1970s. Grealy is not interested in praising or denouncing Dr. Owen's human rights policy, but rather in investigating its intellectual and political origins; its achievements, shortcomings and contradictions; its prolonged shadows on the international system after the end of the Cold War." --Umberto Tulli, Postdoctoral fellow in Contemporary History and Adjunct Professor at the University of Trento, Italy

"This is a measured account that brings out Owen's thoughtful approach to international politics and determination to foreground human rights in policy-making, while leaving the reader in no doubt that he was capable of making poor decisions." --English Historical Review

"This [monograph] offers a sophisticated insight into the subtle ways prominent figures like Owen influenced British foreign policy ... and as a result is recommended to anyone interested in British foreign policy in the Cold War, ethics in international relations, and the nuances of diplomacy in the modern era." --Diplomacy & Statecraft