Sikkink: Making Human Rights work in the 21st Century

According to Kathryn Sikkink, what are the recent attitudes to human rights amongst scholars?

Pessimistic of human rights law and institutions

According to Sikink, how do non adhering states delegitimise human rights organisations?

Describing them as anti-national because of foreign funding

According to Sikkink, what does government opposition to human rights organisation tell us?

Human rights can be effective as they are a threat

Who are the 4 groups Kathryn Sikkink identifies as the invested party in human rights?

1. Governments with poor human rights records

2. Public who fear human rights is failing

3. Academic

4. Human rights activists

According to Sikkink, what can anti-human rights governments do to use the system against human rights?

Use academics who claim human rights are a colonial imposition to justify poor human rights record

What example does Sikkink us for a regressive government with a poor human rights record using academics?

Maduro

What is one argument Sikkink highlights about why human rights are declining?

US and Western Europe pushed human rights

Now these regions are on the decline

Which human rights issues does Sikkink claim are worsening?

refugees

economic inequality

Which human rights issues does Sikkink claim are improving?

Decline in genocide

Fewer battle deaths

Why does Sikkink believe political scientists did not discuss human rights earlier?

'supposed to talk about how the world really is, not how it should be'

What is Sikkink's stance on the value of human rights?

human rights have an intrinsic value despite the consequences

In Sikkink's view what does human rights law not require?

Use of military means to promote human rights

What part of the UN charter does Sikkink highlight to show that military enforcement of human rights are not endorsed by the charter?

UN charter permits Security Council to use military for international peace and security

What does Sikkink believe calling states to comply with human rights treaties is?

not coercion but instead holding states to account

What about human rights law, institutions and movements does Sikkink challenge?

There portrayal as ineffective

How does Sikkink believe that legitimacy can be obtained?

Actors cannot obtain it, it must be given

Why does Sikkink believe the standard placed on international institutions like the ICC are too high>

Legitimacy should not be based on the ideal but the fact they 'should be obeyed'

What view of Moyn's does Sikkink highlight?

decolonisation was about sovereignty not human rights

How does Sikkink react to Moyn's claim that decolonisation was about sovereignty not human rights?

About both

What view does Sikkink make about the reality of who needs to support human rights?

Success is most likely when powerful states support it

Why does Sikkink believe it is so difficult to measure the effectiveness of human rights?

legal commitments may not actually influence the behaviour of states

What is Sikkink's evaluation of the trends brought about by global human rights?

'less violence and fewer human rights violations in the world'