ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the expansion of support for human rights and the increase in humanitarian interventions do not mark a sharp break with the Westphalian idea of sovereignty—at least not yet. In fact, the new emphasis on protecting human rights is driven less by idealistic commitments than by national self-interest, the very principle that derives from sovereignty and that the realist approach contends and motivates international affairs. Increasingly, the international community has come to recognize that allowing human rights abuses to go unchecked creates a threat to international security. The idea of human rights as a security concern was key to the inclusion of human rights in the United Nations (UN) Charter, but only in recent years have diplomats embraced this idea more fully. A major factor contributing to the expansion of support for human rights is the growing influence of international civil society.
