Exploring Human Rights

...Exploring Human Rights Toward a Humanitarian Diplomacy: A Primer for Policy Edited by Tom J Farer New York University 229 pp $16 00 Reviewed by Joanne Gerber Arriving amid the renewed debate about a proper U S approach to human rights, this book is intended as a guide to future policy in the light of the Carter Administration's experience Worthy though that objective may be, the execution is wanting The five essays here consist mainly of historical accounts that serve as the background for brief, sometimes simplistic expositions of the liberal view on such questions as the conflict between human rights and other foreign policy objectives, the priority of economic or political rights, and the difficulty of applying an equal standard to countries of unequal importance In his opening essay, Tom J Farer, editor of the volume and Distinguished Professor of Law at Rutgers Umversity, attempts to define "rights," discusses yardsticks for their measurement, and offers "specific propositions" for their advancement The last are frequently clouded m fuzzmess, however For example, he says (the emphasis is his) "that gross violations of a person's right to physical security must in every case occasion public condemnation by the United States and an effort to terminate that violation, unless such action is likely to have a powerful, adverse effect on imperative national security interests or would tend to aggravate the violation " On the other hand, as a "last resort" he urges the use of force, arguing unconvincingly that any such action by the U S for the express purpose of protecting political or economic rights would not be severely criticized as unjustified intervention in the internal affairs of another country Sandra Vogelgesang follows with an assessment of the roles played by President Carter, Congress and domestic political forces in shaping our government's human rights position over the past decade Despite some analysis of the national mood and the motives of various political actors, she ventures little beyond a play-by-play chronology of legislative battles...

...The remaining three sections are presented as "case studies" of "the difficulties and opportunities which attend a humanitarian diplomacy " John de St Jorre, after taking up economic and strategic questions concerning South Africa, recommends a gradual application of all forms of pressure, although he is not optimistic about the results In his treatment of the second case, Iran, Marvin Zonis seems to veer away altogether from the book's intent His contribution is essentially a review of Iranian history, with only superficial references to the evolution of the American stance toward Iran While similarly relying on historical and descriptive material in the first half of the essay on South Korea, Donald Ranard later directly addresses the question of policy options He supports decreased economic aid and military presence, reasoning that the threat from the north and instability in the south are both overestimated Farer contends in the Introduction that the inclusion of other case studies (Argentina, Brazil and Ethiopia are some possibilities he mentions) would add fascination but no further insights But South Africa, Iran and South Korea cannot serve as models for black Africa, with its tribal antagonisms among other problems, for Latm America, where the influence of Cuba and the dubious legacy of our own past involvements complicate matters, for any country where violations occur in the context of severe economic underdevelopment, or, of course, for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe Indeed, because of its limited scope, and.the uneven quality of the analysis, Toward a Humanitarian Diplomacy is ultimately not an adequate guide for developing a human rights policy...