> Reviewed by Paul Hayman (Durham University)
> Published on H-Human-Rights (November, 2009)
> Commissioned by Rebecca K. Root
>
> From Terror to Utopia
>
> Have we, in the last two decades, seen the rise and fall of the "Age
> of Rights"? The future of human rights in a post-9/11 world is
> uncertain. This seismic event has altered the international landscape
> and has forced the rethinking of state agendas in both foreign and
> domestic policy. A focus on terror is, it seems, diluting the gains
> made in the previous decade. The global arena in which human rights
> compete for political standing is framed by a host of complex
> concerns. In _Achieving Human Rights_, Richard A. Falk attempts to
> make sense of the complex world that seems to spin around us. The
> Iraq War, genocide, the rule of law, and information technology, for
> example, are features of what the international system has become.
> What about human rights? How can we extract and reclaim them from
> this morass? Falk's new book seeks to cut through the accumulation of
> misconception and misdirection surrounding human rights, and he does
> this with a vibrancy and clarity befitting his position in the field.
>
> Indeed, it is a move away from the standard triumvirate of
> state/society/individual that Falk is advocating. Yes, human rights
> are needed for people or groups, generally living within the borders
> of a state, and generally affected somehow by the actions of that
> state. But these are stock answers to what human rights are--too
> easily side-stepped by aggressors, and meaningless to those in need.
> The theme of meaning, together with connectivity, runs throughout
> Falk's work.
>
> In the aftermath of terror and in the midst of war, any sense of
> steady, linear progress in which we can invest our hope for the
> betterment of the species seems to have diminished. Falk would like
> to shift our thinking. In fact, he would rather we do it ourselves
> and so provides the reader with the necessary tools--a broad overview
> of relevant topics, which are presented in sufficient detail as not
> to be overwhelming, and a starting point that seems strangely
> familiar but that has long been caught up (consumed, even) by global
> forces (that is, ourselves). In a world where the traditional
> repository of power--the sovereign state--has in several important
> respects changed in terms of identity and direct influence,
> supranational and institutional forces are playing deeper and more
> varied roles in the lives of ordinary citizens.
>
> Falk begins by mapping out the road toward global governance. Chapter
> 1 provides an overview of the main premise of the book, the idea
> driving Falk's reorienting of the human rights discourse, which is a
> vision he calls "necessary utopianism" (p. 15). The utopian element
> of this vision is important. Falk reclaims the term from the realm of
> fantasy: Yes, this vision of humanist global governance must
> originally be a product of the imagination, but only because it
> requires a certain inventiveness to cut through the hegemony of
> liberal institutionalism which has appropriated "human rights" for
> its own political gain.
>
> In chapter 2, Falk outlines the difference between the "power of
> rights" and the "rights of power" (p. 25). The former, in the current
> liberal-oriented international system, falls to the wayside in the
> face of the latter. It is this power imbalance that Falk believes is
> underpinning the inability of those who are in some way oppressed or
> suffering to engage with human rights norms themselves, as opposed to
> regularly seeing them wielded above them in the hands of powers who
> lack real sympathy or empathy. A readjustment of power is needed.
>
> Over the course of fourteen chapters in total, Falk tells the story
> of this power imbalance and how it can, ultimately, be overcome.
> Human rights can only hope to prosper (that is, to be properly
> representative and meaningful), if there is widespread recognition of
> the demise of the traditional state-led model of international
> relations and individual lives. Falk does not wish for sweeping
> administrative changes, however. The World Court in the Hague, for
> example, is frequently lauded as "courageous" for its
> counter-hegemonic decisions (p. 122). It is just these features that
> the move toward global democracy through necessary utopianism
> requires.
>
> The chapter dealing with human rights in the aftermath of 9/11
> highlights the complexities of hegemony. There is no collective
> response to 9/11, Falk argues--not emotionally, not militarily, and
> certainly not ideologically. As hegemon, the United States has its
> own remit which is affecting contemporary global responses to human
> rights. Falk is a sceptic who reluctantly agrees to the
> classification of an age of "terror" as opposed to an age of
> "rights." Nevertheless, he advocates a full engagement with the
> hegemonic activities of the United States if a rights discourse is to
> be maintained. This could be manifest politically by a European focus
> on international law and human rights as a basis for foreign policy.
>
> In chapter 12 (part 5, "Beyond Politics"), Falk moves on to discuss
> what might be described as the more philosophical concerns of the
> issue. This is the "how" part of the equation. It begins with ground
> that Falk has covered before but that bears repeating--the need for
> scholars to dust down their moral compasses in order to be teachers
> capable of public engagement. In this short chapter, Falk ties
> together the responsibilities of education and citizenship. This is
> not a call to arms, but rather a nudge in the right direction for
> scholars to take on the duties that such a reorienting project
> demands. Beyond this, Falk moves into deeper philosophical thinking
> about the correct use of the term "humanity." This is presented as a
> complex undertaking, but certainly a necessary one, as humanity is
> precisely the compass that we are relying on for accurate guidance.
>
> The final chapter is a meditation on Falk's preferred alternative to
> the maligned term "world citizen." Instead, he prefers "citizen
> pilgrim," inspired by St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews. The
> inspiration taken by Falk is that "this sense of being alien to what
> is, thirsting for what might be, embodies the yearning of the
> pilgrim" (p. 202). It is citizen pilgrims--inquisitive, questioning,
> and committed--who are the achievers. They will maintain the drive
> for human rights through this difficult spell, and it is they who
> will shape the regime for future relevance.
>
> Falk's latest work is fascinating and highly instructive. It will be
> enjoyed by students and practitioners of human rights, and should
> feature prominently on the reading lists of any courses that seek to
> dig deeper in the search for meaningful steps forward in this field.
> More experienced scholars may find its short chapters dealing with
> big subjects to be frustrating (the sections within chapters are
> sometimes very short). Time and again, more depth would have served
> this exercise well. However, this undertaking of Falk's is no small
> task, and the expertise with which he selects and explains relevant
> points is impressive. Is it a manifesto for human rights? Perhaps it
> is. At the very least, it demands attention from students to experts
> and all the citizen pilgrims between.
>
> Citation: Paul Hayman. Review of Falk, Richard A., _Achieving Human
> Rights_. H-Human-Rights, H-Net Reviews. November, 2009.
> URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=25448
>
> This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
> Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
> License.

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