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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 why: 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 concerns: 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.

The fall and rise of religion in international relations : history and theory / Timothy Samuel Shah and Daniel Philpott -- Secularism and international relations theory / Elizabeth Shakman Hurd -- Another Great Awakening? International relations theory and religion / Michael Barnett -- Religion, rationality, and violence / Monica Duffy Toft -- Religion and international relations : no leap of faith required / Daniel H. Nexon -- In the service of state and nation : religion in East Asia / Il Hyun Cho and Peter J. Katzenstein -- Religion's contribution to international relations theory / Emily Cochran and Jack Snyder

Military bias and offensive strategy -- France : offensive strategy as an institutional defense -- France : Du Picq, Dreyfus, and the errors of plan -- Germany : the elusive formula for decisive victory -- Germany : the "necessary" is possible -- Russia : bureaucratic politics and strategic priorities -- Russia : the politics and psychology of overcommitment -- The determinants of military strategy.

For the first time in one collected volume, mainstream and critical human rights scholars together examine the empirical and normative debates around the future of human rights. They ask what makes human rights effective, what strategies will enhance the chances of compliance, what blocks progress, and whether the hope for human rights is entirely misplaced in a rapidly transforming world. Human Rights Futures sees the world as at a crucial juncture. The project for globalizing rights will either continue to be embedded or will fall backward into a maelstrom of nationalist backlash, religious resurgence and faltering Western power. Each chapter talks directly to the others in an interactive dialogue, providing a theoretical and methodological framework for a clear research agenda for the next decade. Scholars, graduate students and practitioners of political science, history, sociology, law and development will find much to both challenge and provoke them in this innovative book.

This volume presents studies by senior scholars and practitioners that are highly relevant to contemporary political challenges. The democratic vision that accompanied the collapse of communist regimes in the Soviet Union and East Central Europe has been replaced by a range of authoritarian, semi-authoritarian and democratic regimes, and growing division between Western and Russian influence. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to renewed tensions and international crisis. China, which presents major challenges to the US, Europe, and the global order, has emerged as a critical actor in the international conflict. The need to understand the internal dynamics and international behavior of communist and authoritarian regimes is more urgent at this time. The expertise provided by the volume's contributors is especially timely, offering new insights into the past and contemporary politics of these states, the agendas driving their behavior, regimes' domestic strengths and weaknesses, and the role of leaders' differing perceptions in exacerbating international conflict. Practitioners demonstrate how such knowledge can inform effective policy and ameliorative efforts.

Guide to this reader -- APPROACHES TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS -- HISTORICAL CONTEXT -- INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORIES -- LEVELS OF ANALYSIS -- THE STATE AND THE TOOLS OF STATECRAFT -- WAR AND SECURITY -- INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND INTERNATIONAL LAW -- INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY -- INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS -- HUMAN RIGHTS -- THE ENVIRONMENT -- HUMAN SECURITY: MIGRATION, POPULATION, AND GLOBAL HEALTH.

Mansfield, E. D.; Snyder, J.: Electing to fight : emerging democracies and international instability. - S. 11-24 Colton, T. J.: Post-postcommunist Russia, the international environment and NATO. - S. 25-38 MacFarlane, S. N.: Russia, NATO enlargement and the strengthening of democracy in the European space. - S. 39-52 Braun, A.: Enlargement and the perils of containment. - S. 55-71 Sloan, S. R.: NATO beyond Russia. - S. 72-90 Simon, J.: NATO enlargement and Russia. - S. 91-108 Neumann, P. R.: NATO, the European Union, Russia and the fight against terrorism. - S. 111-122 Freedman, R. O.: Can Russia be a partner for NATO in the Middle East? - S. 123-160 Blank, S. J.: Is East-West integration possible? - S. 161-184