That flaw being that they are dependent on states for action. Gandhi and Dr. King both sought to get their respective states to change laws to stop human rights violations. NGOs require assistance from states to carry out their mission, both by providing access and providing funds. And IGOs like the United Nations are at the whim of the member states should they want to get anything done. Clearly then, states still hold a majority of the power in the current geopolitical scene. So it is from states that the change must come. Because they are sovereign over their territory, states wield enormous power over what will and will not be enforced. So while the UN and NGOs and individuals poke and prod, it is the state that makes the final determination to commit to international human rights. Other states can also influence a state in ways that NGOs or the UN cannot. This is done through a sort of “check book diplomacy” as it were, using lucrative trade agreements as leverage for enforcing human rights. While it is a gross oversimplification, the character Albie Duncan notes “Trade with China is essential for human rights. By engaging China and
That flaw being that they are dependent on states for action. Gandhi and Dr. King both sought to get their respective states to change laws to stop human rights violations. NGOs require assistance from states to carry out their mission, both by providing access and providing funds. And IGOs like the United Nations are at the whim of the member states should they want to get anything done. Clearly then, states still hold a majority of the power in the current geopolitical scene. So it is from states that the change must come. Because they are sovereign over their territory, states wield enormous power over what will and will not be enforced. So while the UN and NGOs and individuals poke and prod, it is the state that makes the final determination to commit to international human rights. Other states can also influence a state in ways that NGOs or the UN cannot. This is done through a sort of “check book diplomacy” as it were, using lucrative trade agreements as leverage for enforcing human rights. While it is a gross oversimplification, the character Albie Duncan notes “Trade with China is essential for human rights. By engaging China and