R/L perspectives on HR and international law

Realism — HR as an issue

• Soft issue, not hard

  • Aka fringe, not core

R - morality and international politics

• Some realists think it’s wrong for there to be a moral aspect to international politics

  • Morality and national interest cannot coexist

3 points of R’s objection to HR

1. HR underpinned by optimistic perspective of HN, i.e. dignity, respect and rationality

2. R only care about collective behaviour

3. R only care about what is, not what should be

Liberalism and HR

• HR should be provided by the state as part of the social contract

L and individual v collective rights

• Individual political and civil rights > economic/group rights

R perspective on IL

• Skeptical and suspicious

  • Don’t like supranational law

R and domestic law

• Has sovereign authority to both enact and enforce

R’s thoughts about IL

• Simply a collection of moral principles and ideals

  • Limited by states yet need sovereignty to enact and enforce

L and IL

• YES!

• Should codify core ethical principles, reflecting common interest and rationality as a binding force

  • Supreme legal authority needed