Human Rights And Security - 9780367015893

Taylor & Francis

Inquiries into the relationship between security and human rights are of very recent vintage. They have long been hampered by political scientists' predilection for political \""realism.\"" From that perspective, there seemed little doubt that power comes first and any human rights but a poor second. As wishful thinking turned into reality during the Eastern European revolutions of 1989, the limitations of such shortsighted realism became apparent. This book examines the causes and consequences of the emerging new relationship between security and human rights. It is divided into two parts, which deal respectively with security and human rights and their relationship to states and societies. What is the theoretical linkage between security and human rights? How has this linkage evolved within the context of East-West relations? What was the particular role of the Helsinki process in shaping this evolution? How do these issues affect the difficult transition from dictatorship to plurali?