Internationale Menschenrechtsnormen, transnationale Netzwerke und politischer Wandel in den Landern des Sudens
In: Zeitschrift für internationale Beziehungen: ZIB, Band 5, Heft 1, S. 5-41
ISSN: 0946-7165
Under what conditions do states internalize international norms into their domestic practices? How can we account for the observable variance in the implementation of human rights norms? The paper analyzes & emphasizes the role of transnational human rights networks in promoting international norms in selected countries in the South (Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia & the Philippines). It argues that the decisive factor in the diffusion & implementation of human rights norms is the capability of these networks to generate pressure from above & below by on the one hand mobilizing Western states, their domestic opinion, & international organizations, & on the other hand establishing links to the domestic opposition in the target country. In order to capture this dynamic the paper presents a "spiral model" of domestic change. This model incorporates systematically activities on the international, national, & societal levels. We call this process of internalizing international human rights standards a "socialization process" & distinguish between three ideal types of modes of action: (1) strategic action (bargaining) & instrumental adaptation; (2) moral consciousness-raising, argumentation, & communicative persuasion; & (3) institutionalization & habitualization. Adapted from the source document.
