The Development of International Human Rights Law

David Weissbrodt is Regents Professor and Fredrikson & Byron Professor of Law, Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin is Dorsey & Whitney Chair in Law and Mary Rumsey is Professor of Legal Research Instruction, all at the University of Minnesota, USA.

Contents: Introduction. Part I Philosophical, Religious, and Historical Influences Underlying the Development of Human Rights Law: Origins: the rise and fall of natural rights, Michael Freeman; Introduction: the human rights idea, Louis Henkin; Islam and human rights: beyond the universality debate, Abdullahi A. An-Na’im; Women’s rights as human rights: toward a re-vision of human rights, Charlotte Bunch. Part II Drafting of the Human Rights Provisions of the UN Charter and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: The road to San Francisco: the revival of the human rights idea in the twentieth century, Jan Herman Burgers; World War Two and the Universal Declaration, Johannes Morsink; Article 55(c), Eibe H. Riedel and Jan-Michael Arend. Part III The Debate over Universality of Human Rights: Cultural relativism and universal human rights, Jack Donnelly; Savages, victims, and saviors: the metaphor of human rights, Makau Mutua; What’s wrong with Chinese rights?: Toward a theory of rights with Chinese characteristics, R.P. Peerenboom. Part IV Interdependence and Indivisibility of Civil, Economic, Cultural, Political and Social Rights: The past and future of the separation of human rights into categories, Stephen P. Marks; The importance of democracy, Amartya Sen; Freedom from want: how can we make indivisibility more than a mere slogan?, William A. Schabas; The Four Freedoms turn 70, Michael H. Posner; Procedures for the implementation of economic, social, and cultural rights, David Weissbrodt. Part V Compliance with Human Rights Standards and Causes of Human Rights Violations: Political, Sociological, Economic, etc./the Role of Bystanders: The normative context of human rights criticism: treaty ratification and UN mechanisms, Ann Marie Clark; The psychology of bystanders, perpetrators, and heroic helpers, Ervin Staub. Part VI The Role of NGOs in the Development of Human Rights: The status of human rights NGOs, Michael H. Posner and Candy Whittome; Transnation