ABSTRACT
The contemporary human rights movement tends to be suspicious of states, an attitude institutionalized by two historical events that decisively shaped the movement. The institutions and discourse of the human rights movement emerged from the wreckage of World War II and the liberal reaction to European totalitarianism. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were involved in the post-WWII human rights movement from the beginning, participating in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Jack Donnelly has similarly argued that the human rights treaty regime is effective at promoting the idea of rights and spreading norms, but not at enforcement. The presumption that states are responsible for all political violence is an ironic development of an ancient tradition in political theory, which regards public authority as a means of controlling violence in society. Bureaucracy is a highly distinctive form of social organization. Unlike alternative systems of administrative organization, bureaucrats do not represent communities or own their offices.
