On the Side of the Angels: Canada and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights

Author:   Andrew Thompson
Publisher:   University of British Columbia Press
ISBN:  

9780774835046


Pages:   212
Publication Date:   01 October 2017
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Our Price $67.25 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

On the Side of the Angels: Canada and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights


Add your own review!

Overview

When it comes to upholding human rights both at home and abroad, many Canadians would like to believe that we have always been “on the side of the angels.” This book tells the story of Canada’s contributions – both good and bad – to the development and advancement of international human rights law at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) from 1946 to 2006. The CHR gave Canada the opportunity to forge a reputation as a human rights leader. This book scrutinizes this reputation by examining Canada’s involvement in a number of contentious human rights issues – political, civil, racial, women’s, and Indigenous, among others. It finds that Canada’s record was mixed, its priorities motivated by a variety of considerations, both domestic and international. An in-depth historical overview of six decades of Canadian engagement within the UN human rights system, On The Side of the Angels offers new insights into the nuances, complexities, and contradictions of Canada’s human rights policies.

Full Product Details

Author:   Andrew Thompson
Publisher:   University of British Columbia Press
Imprint:   University of British Columbia Press
Weight:   0.300kg
ISBN:  

9780774835046


ISBN 10:   0774835044
Pages:   212
Publication Date:   01 October 2017
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock   Availability explained
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Foreword / Alex Neve Introduction 1 Ideologies, Interests, and the Impracticalities of International Human Rights Law, 1946-54 2 Tackling Racial Discrimination, 1963-65 3 Tehran and the Struggle for Control of the UN Human Rights Agenda, 1967-68 4 Gross Violations and the Foxes that Guard the Hen House, 1975-79 5 The Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 1982-84 6 Apartheid and the Perils of Casting Stones, 1989-93 7 Equality Rights and the Prohibition of Violence against Women, 1991-94 8 Mass Insecurity and the Demise of the Commission, 1995-2006 Conclusion Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index

Reviews

Overall, Thompson charts the ups and downs-and eventual collapse-of the UNCHR. He does so from the vantage point of a middle power, whose officials were often frustrated by the inaction of the great powers and by the seeming overactivity of the smaller states of the Global South. In sum, On the Side of the Angels is a detailed and well-researched analysis that marks an important addition to the growing history of Canadian international human rights and the human rights revolution more generally. -- Asa McKercher, Royal Military College of Canada * Cambridge Law and History Review *


On the Side of the Angels makes an important contribution to the existing scholarship by situating Canada and Canadian history into the broader study of the development of global human rights, something that has been lacking. -- Jennifer Tunnicliffe, University of Waterloo * International Journal * Overall, Thompson charts the ups and downs-and eventual collapse-of the UNCHR. He does so from the vantage point of a middle power, whose officials were often frustrated by the inaction of the great powers and by the seeming overactivity of the smaller states of the Global South. In sum, On the Side of the Angels is a detailed and well-researched analysis that marks an important addition to the growing history of Canadian international human rights and the human rights revolution more generally. -- Asa McKercher, Royal Military College of Canada * Cambridge Law and History Review *


Author Information

Andrew S. Thompson is an adjunct assistant professor of political science at the University of Waterloo and a fellow at both the Centre for International Governance Innovation and the Balsillie School of International Affairs. A specialist in the fields of international human rights, civil society movements, and fragile states, he is the author and co-editor of four other books, Fixing Haiti: MINUSTAH and Beyond (2011), In Defence of Principles: NGOs and Human Rights in Canada (2010), Critical Mass: The Emergence of Global Civil Society (2008), and Haiti: Hope for a Fragile State (2006), along with numerous journal articles and book chapters. He has appeared as an expert witness before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, and the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights. In 2004, he was part of an Amnesty International human rights lobbying and fact-finding mission to Haiti.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

lgn

al

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List