Human Rights for Pragmatists: Social Power in Modern Times

by Jack Snyder

An innovative framework for advancing human rights

Human rights are among our most pressing issues today, yet rights promoters have reached an impasse in their effort to achieve rights for all. Human Rights for Pragmatists explains activists prioritize universal legal and moral norms, backed by the public shaming of violators, but in fact rights prevail only when they serve the interests of powerful local constituencies. Jack Snyder demonstrates that where local power and politics lead, rights follow. He presents an innovative roadmap for addressing a broad agenda of human rights impunity for atrocities, dilemmas of free speech in the age of social media, entrenched abuses of women’s rights, and more.

Exploring the historical development of human rights around the globe, Snyder shows that liberal rights–based states have experienced a competitive edge over authoritarian regimes in the modern era. He focuses on the role of power, the interests of individuals and the groups they form, and the dynamics of bargaining and coalitions among those groups. The path to human rights entails transitioning from a social order grounded in patronage and favoritism to one dedicated to equal treatment under impersonal rules. Rights flourish when they benefit dominant local actors with the clout to persuade ambivalent peers. Activists, policymakers, and others attempting to advance rights should embrace a tailored strategy, one that acknowledges local power structures and cultural practices.

Constructively turning the mainstream framework of human rights advocacy on its head, Human Rights for Pragmatists offers tangible steps that all advocates can take to move the rights project forward.

Table of contents

Preface and acknowledgments

1. Power leads, rights follow
2. Power and rights in the modern state
3. Building blocks and sequences
4. Crossing the political threshold
5. Crossing the economic threshold in China
6. Aligning with mass movements, reform parties and religion
7. Regulating the marketplace of ideas, with Tamar Mitts
8. Backlash against human rights shaming
9. Entrenched abuses of women and children
10. Human rights at a time of global stalemate

Notes
Index

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, International Relations

328 pages, Hardcover

Published July 26, 2022

Reviews

[Alejandro Teruel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and pragmatic critique of basic human rights implementation paying particular attention to the opportunities and risks of attempting human rights implementation in political transitions, when and how shaming helps to further human rights development -and how and when it can trigger a counterproductive backlash instead-, the need to take carefully into account countries' power structures, cultures and ideologies, economy, perspectives on corruption, appropriate alliances with local groups, and robustness of institutions.

His meticulous analysis of how absolutist approaches to media freedom and the right to free speech can go horribly wrong is very illuminating and worth careful study. His critique highlights successes and failures not only in trying to introduce media freedoms and the right to free speech, but also in combatting female genital cutting, early marriage and child labor. He identifies what he calls equilibrium traps which may allow some (small) advances in human rights before hitting a brick wall and which go a long way to explaining why abusive practices continue.

Strongly recommended for human rights practitioners, NGOs, and idealists who need to understand that naive and self-evident approaches to human rights implementation in other countries and cultures are, more likely than not, doomed to failure or even entrenchment of abuses, if they are not tempered by more pragmatic strategies based on the history of previous efforts in the field.

[Arianne See · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this for a class and interview Jack, what a lad.
Not sure if I'm entirely convinced by all his arguments though. Still, what a lad