Human Rights for Pragmatists

An innovative framework for advancing human rights

Human rights are among our most pressing issues today, yet rights promoters have reached an impasse in their effort to achieve rights for all. Human Rights for Pragmatists explains why: activists prioritize universal legal and moral norms, backed by the public shaming of violators, but in fact rights prevail only when they serve the interests of powerful local constituencies. Jack Snyder demonstrates that where local power and politics lead, rights follow. He presents an innovative roadmap for addressing a broad agenda of human rights concerns: impunity for atrocities, dilemmas of free speech in the age of social media, entrenched abuses of women¿s rights, and more.

Exploring the historical development of human rights around the globe, Snyder shows that liberal rights¿based states have experienced a competitive edge over authoritarian regimes in the modern era. He focuses on the role of power, the intere