International treaties are the primary means for codifying global human rights standards. However, nation-states are able to make their own choices in how to legally commit to human rights treaties. A state commits to a treaty through four commitment acts: signature, ratification, accession, and succession. These acts signify diverging legal paths with distinct contexts and mechanisms for rights change reflecting legalization, negotiation, sovereignty, and domestic constraints. How a state moves through these actions determines how, when, and to what extent it will comply with the human rights treaties it commits to. Using legal, archival, and quantitative analysis this important book shows that disentangling legal paths to commitment reveals distinct and significant compliance outcomes. Legal context matters for human rights and has important implications for the conceptualization of treaty commitment, the consideration of non-binding commitment, and an optimistic outlook for the impact of human rights treaties.
Author(s): Audrey L. Comstock
Edition: 1
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2021
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF
Pages: 244
Tags: UN And International Organisations; Law, Politics And International Relations; International Relations And International Organisations
Cover
Half-title page
Title page
Copyright page
Contents
List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
1 | Introduction
2 | On Ratification: Rethinking a Ratification-Centered Approach to International Law
3 | Legal Paths for Human Rights Treaty Commitment and Compliance
4 | Signature: A First Step in a Two-Step Commitment Process
5 | Accession: Late Commitment and Treaty Negotiations
6 | Succession: New States, Old Laws, and Legitimacy
7 | Conclusion
Appendix | Variables in Statistical Analyses
Works Cited
Index
