Book Review: Human Rights Diplomacy
| Published date | 01 June 1999 |
| Date | 01 June 1999 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/092405199901700211 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
Part
D: Documentation
BOOK
REVIEWS
Rein Miillerson, Human Rights Diplomacy, Routledge, London and New York, 1997:
Rein Mullerson, professor and chair of international law at King's College London, has
written a book about the internationalisation of human rights. His objective is to try to
combine different visions of, and approaches to human rights strategies in international
relations. He looks at legalistic-moralistic and 'realist', universalist and relativist
approaches and ideals without losing touch with reality. Mullerson, himself a former
foreign service officer from Estonia, bases his analysis on personal experience as well as
on a wide knowledge
of
the relevant literature. He has largely succeeded in his objective.
This relatively short book presents a veritable bird eye's view of the field.
The book is divided into six chapters: the raison d'etre
of
human rights policy, human
rights and international stability, the role of cultural factors, societal development and
power interests in the human rights discourse, some lessons
of
Cold War human rights
diplomacy, a new era: what should, and what can, be done? and human rights, peace and
the use
of
force. The author concludes that human rights have become an important part
of international diplomacy, because their absence or serious violation can often negatively
affect relations between States and because '... there is a common bond between most
human beings, irrespective
of
their racial, ethnic, religious or national origin' (p. 36). The
latter may be true in some instances, but taken as a whole it sounds a little over-idealistic.
When President Ronald Reagan, attacking the USSR as the 'evil empire', criticised its
human rights record, he was doing so, not so much because of alleged common bonds, but
on the basis of hard notions of Realpolitik. Human rights can be defined as an objective
of
foreign policy - as some States have done - but it is equally true that it can be used
as an instrument to promote quite different, power-related objectives.
A felicitous notion is that of the 'hypocrisy trap' (p. 35). By that Mullerson refers to
governments who pay lipservice to human rights, yet in the end find that their behaviour
has nonetheless led to the emergence of certain norms and even practices which may really
start to affect governments' policies. It is very useful addition to the well-known notion
of the 'mobilisation
of
shame, which ispractised by non-governmental organisations trying
to affect governmental behaviour.
Professor Mullerson knows a great deal. It is a pleasure to traverse with him the
intricacies
of
international human rights diplomacy. When to intervene and when not?
What is the likely effect going to be of one's actions? Through manifold examples, often
taken from the Cold War period, he shows that the support
of
stability while sacrificing
justice may ultimately be detrimental to the realisation
of
the very stability sought (p. 44).
Such arguments may help to persuade even hard-nosed realists such as former US
Secretary
of
State Henry Kissinger, whose famous statement warning against meddling in
the domestic policy of other countries is quoted by Mullerson: 'The protection
of
basic
human rights is a very sensitive aspect of the domestic jurisdiction of ( ...) governments'
(pp. 111-112). Perhaps the author is somewhat overstating his case when claiming that
'one should not even try to bring happiness to other peoples who have not asked for it'
• Peter R. Baehr, professor of human rights (ret.), Utrecht and Leiden University.
Netherlands Quarterly
of
Human Rights, Vol. 17/2, 221-226, 1999.
~
Netherlands Institute
of
Human Rights
(81M).
Printed in the Netherlands. 221
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