CFR.org - Democracy and Human Rights

Building Markets for Peace (Audio) - Building Markets for Peace (Audio)

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:26:46 -0500

This roundtable meeting was part of the project, Entrepreneurs and Market Linkages in Conflict and Post-Conflict Environments, organized by the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative.

NYT: 'We the People' Loses Appeal Around the World

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:18:29 -0500

Adam Liptak of the New York Times writes that the U.S. Constitution no longer acts as the model for modern states. He cites the consitution's conservative interpretation and relatively few secured rights in making it a poor model in light of newer constitutions that reflect modern values and contexts.

U.S. State Department Statement on Embassy Closure in Syria, February 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:51:38 -0500

The U.S. Department of State released this statement regarding the suspension of embassy operations in Syria on February 6, 2012.

Obama's Statement on Syria, February 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:32:16 -0500

President Obama gave this statement on Syria on February 4, 2012.

Conservatives, Liberals, and Human Rights

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:27:38 -0500

Mark P. Lagon and William F. Schulz take a closer look at how liberals and conservatives understand and advance human rights and lay out options for creating a more unified human rights movement focused on resilience and creative policies rather than dogmatism.

How Myanmar Changed and What It Means

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:40:17 -0500

Myanmar's sudden transition from repressive pariah to potential democracy should be viewed through the lens of a military alarmed by people power revolts and by the country's increasingly shaky economic condition, says CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

We Intervene in Syria at Our Peril

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:39:30 -0500

Ed Husain argues that Western military involvement in Syria would worsen violence, not end it, and could spread the conflict beyond Syria's borders.

Cuba’s First Party Conference

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:04:42 -0500

Julia E. Sweig says that during her visit to Cuba, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff should sense the frustrating process of Cuba's transformation.

Women's Voices on the Arab Spring: Isobel Coleman

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:59:05 -0500

Isobel Coleman discusses the role of women in the Arab Spring.

Time to End the Torture of Gao Zhisheng

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:04:49 -0500

Jerome A. Cohen and Jared Genser argue that the case of detained Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng demonstrates how far the Chinese government will go to suppress legitimate criticism by its citizens.

Egypt's Revolt and the American Model

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:11:19 -0500

Ed Husain argues that the current trajectory of the United States in the Middle East—of dancing around developments, leading from behind and expressing defeatist thinking—needs to stop.

Egypt and Its Demons

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:42:46 -0500

Steven A. Cook says another year of struggle is to be expected in Egypt, as Egypt's future rests with two familiar powers playing very unfamiliar roles: the military and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Observations by the United States of America on the Relationship Between Climate Change and Human Rights, 2008

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:03:03 -0500

The United States submitted these observations on the relationship between climate change and human rights to the UN Human Rights Council in 2008. The observations were "requested by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in its communications dated June 3 and August 21, 2008…in accordance with Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 7/23, in order to conduct "a detailed analytical study on the relationship between climate change and human rights."

ILO Abolition of Forced Labor Convention of 1957

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:54:27 -0500

The ILO Abolition of Forced Labor Convention of 1957 was adopted on June 25, 1957 by the General Conference of the International Labour Organisation and entered into force on January 17, 1959.

Council of Europe Social Charter

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:51:51 -0500

The Council of Europe Social Charter was opened for signature on October 18, 1961 and entered into force on February 26, 1965.

UN General Assembly Resolution 794, Protocol Amending the Slavery Convention

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:46:39 -0500

The Protocol amending the Slavery Convention was adopted as UN General Assembly resolution 794 on October 23, 1953. It was signed on September 25, 1926 and entered into force on December 7, 1953.

A Forward Strategy of Freedom

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:45:45 -0500

Elliott Abrams strikes back at critics who condemn both the Arab Spring and its supporters.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Foreign Policy and Extremism (Audio) - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Foreign Policy and Extremism (Audio)

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:14:14 -0500

This session was a meeting of the Civil Society, Democracy, and Countering Radicalism Roundtable series.

St. Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:44:29 -0500

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote his theological treatise, Summa Theologica, from 1265 to 1274. This section deals with which actions, in war, are lawful and unlawful.

UN Global Compact Ten Core Principles

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:14:30 -0500

The UN Global Compact was launched on July 26, 2000 with nine principles. A tenth was added on June 24, 2004. The UN states, "The UN Global Compact's ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption enjoy universal consensus and are derived from The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and The United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

The UN Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption."

In the Arab Spring's Aftermath, Democracy Retreats

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:19:12 -0500

Joshua Kurlantzick says that despite the hopes raised by the Arab Spring, democracy is actually in retreat around the world, but there is a way to revive it.

Pakistan: A Personal History

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:03:58 -0500

Ed Husain reviews Imran Khan's Pakistan.

Bracing for Instability in Syria

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:36:16 -0500

Syria's regime appears increasingly isolated and erratic in response to civil unrest, posing a challenge to the Arab League to prevent a spread of conflict, says CFR's Robert M. Danin.

Anti-Homosexuality Bill, Uganda

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:24:27 -0500

This proposed anti-homosexualitybill was introduced in Uganda's Parliament in October 2009; among its provisions, it states that "A person who commits the offence of aggravated homosexuality shall be liable on conviction to suffer death." The bill has not been voted upon.

International Bill of Human Rights

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:50:40 -0500

The UN states, "The International Bill of Human Rights consists of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols."

Egypt's Revolution a Year Later

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:13:21 -0500

With Islamists apparently gaining the most seats in Egypt's parliament, CFR's Steven Cook spells out challenges in the transition process, including the writing of a new constitution.

Potential 'Political Chaos' in Iraq

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:33:34 -0500

As the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq this month, an emerging political battle among the country's top leaders has raised concerns over its stability. It underscores the difficult road ahead for the fragile democracy and potential for greater violence, says CFR's Ned Parker.

Eleven Foreign Policy Insights from 2011

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:44:16 -0500

From James Baker on Egypt to Laurie Garrett on food insecurity, read CFR.org Editor's Picks of eleven notable interviews in 2011.

Is the Arab Spring Bad for Women?

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:10:20 -0500

Isobel Coleman argues that in Libya, Egypt, and elsewhere, overthrowing male dominance could be harder than overthrowing a dictator.

The Frankenstein of Tahrir Square

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:23:30 -0500

Steven A. Cook says Egypt is spinning out of control, and both the military junta and the protesters in the street are to blame.