Richard A. Falk. Achieving Human Rights. New York: Routledge, 2009. x + 244 pp. $130.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-415-99015-8; $29.95 (paper), ISBN 978-0-415-99016-5.

Reviewed by Paul Hayman (Durham University)
Published on H-Human-Rights (November, 2009)
Commissioned by Rebecca K. Root (Ramapo College of New Jersey)

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.

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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

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