Human Rights for Pragmatists - (Human Rights and Crimes Against Humanity) by Jack Snyder

Book Synopsis

An innovative framework for advancing human rights

Human rights are among our most pressing issues today, yet rights promoters have reached an impasse in their effort to achieve rights for all. Human Rights for Pragmatists explains why: activists prioritize universal legal and moral norms, backed by the public shaming of violators, but in fact rights prevail only when they serve the interests of powerful local constituencies. Jack Snyder demonstrates that where local power and politics lead, rights follow. He presents an innovative roadmap for addressing a broad agenda of human rights concerns: impunity for atrocities, dilemmas of free speech in the age of social media, entrenched abuses of women's rights, and more.

Exploring the historical development of human rights around the globe, Snyder shows that liberal rights-based states have experienced a competitive edge over authoritarian regimes in the modern era. He focuses on the role of power, the interests of individuals and the groups they form, and the dynamics of bargaining and coalitions among those groups. The path to human rights entails transitioning from a social order grounded in patronage and favoritism to one dedicated to equal treatment under impersonal rules. Rights flourish when they benefit dominant local actors with the clout to persuade ambivalent peers. Activists, policymakers, and others attempting to advance rights should embrace a tailored strategy, one that acknowledges local power structures and cultural practices.

Constructively turning the mainstream framework of human rights advocacy on its head, Human Rights for Pragmatists offers tangible steps that all advocates can take to move the rights project forward.

Review Quotes

"A welcome relief. . . . Snyder shows it is possible to write a clearly written, broadly framed book about strategies to advance human rights. Human Rights for Pragmatists is both critical in taking on staid human rights strategies and incisive in arguing for more politically sophisticated approaches to advancing the human rights project."---Anthony Chase, International Studies Review

"A Foreign Affairs Best of Books"

"Bronze Winner in Political and Social Sciences, ForeWord Reviews' INDIES Book of the Year Awards"

About the Author

Jack Snyder is the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Columbia University. His many books include From Voting to Violence, Myths of Empire, and Human Rights Futures.