ABSTRACT
One of the most important developments in international relations (IR) in the post-Cold War period was the initial focus on human rights and how its context changed post-9/11. This is of immense importance for the victims of rights abuses, and scholars and activists who try to shape the agendas in the international arena. There are a number of common elements that have been described in contextualizing conflict following the end of the Cold War. Mary Kaldor provides one of the most important analyses, arguing that we were witnessing a period of “new wars.” Human rights on a global scale witnessed some improvement in the post-1990 period with the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin wall. Samuel Huntington described a third wave of democratization with the collapse of authoritarian regimes in Eastern Europe. The protection of fundamental human rights was a foundation stone in the establishment of the US over 241 years ago.
