International Human Rights Law

Returning to Universal Principles

This clear and compelling textoffers a vastly different approach to human rights. Arguing that not only are human rights universal, but so are the obligations to protect these rights, Mark Gibney challenges the dominant territorial basis as well as the hesitancy to hold states responsible for contributing to violations of human rights standards. He addresses the issue of human rights enforcement, presenting practical models that would begin to provide victims the “effective remedy” promised by the law itself. The book concludes that there is a moral and legal imperative to return to the universal principles human rights were founded on. And rather than witnessing the end of human rights—as some have suggested—we should see our times as the true beginning.