Human Rights Politics & Challenges (16 cards)

State Capacity Explanation

The idea that governments may violate human rights because they lack the resources or institutions necessary to protect them.

National Security Justification

The argument that governments may restrict rights in the name of domestic or international security.

Political Survival Explanation

The idea that governments may violate rights to maintain power and suppress opposition.

Regime Type Explanation

The argument that democracies and autocracies differ in their likelihood of respecting human rights.

Human Rights Agreement

An international treaty or agreement establishing rights standards and obligations.

Domestic Reform Motivation

The reason states sign human-rights agreements to encourage internal political or legal reforms.

Reputational Signal

The use of treaty ratification to demonstrate commitment to human-rights norms.

Conditional Membership

A requirement that states adopt certain human-rights standards in order to join international or regional organizations.

Institutional Alignment

The idea that states are more likely to sign agreements that fit existing domestic laws and institutions.

Global Stability Motivation

The belief that protecting human rights contributes to stability in an interconnected world.

American Exceptionalism

The criticism that the United States promotes international rules while declining to ratify or comply with some treaties itself.

CEDAW

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Rome Statute

The treaty that established the International Criminal Court.

International Human Rights Enforcement Problem

The difficulty of compelling states to comply with human-rights obligations.

Aspirational Law

International law that establishes important goals and norms even when enforcement is limited.

Human Rights Norms

Shared international expectations about how governments should treat individuals.