ABSTRACT
The book’s introduction provides a brief review of the theoretical and policy debates regarding the efficacy of human rights on the global scene. If nothing else, these debates reveal the diversity and complexity of the issues at hand. While critics charge that international human rights laws have become increasingly impotent in achieving rule compliance among sovereign states, proponents consider such laws—which prohibit practices such as torture, slavery, extra-judicial killing, and arbitrary detention or exile—indispensable to enduring peace, order, and justice in the international community. The proponents, however, have seen a growing rift among them on what is the most effective way to protect and promote human rights, both domestically and on the international stage. This chapter lays out the book’s structure, explains the significance of this project, and highlights wide-ranging implications that flow from both the realization and abuse of human rights.
