Stephen Hopgood

Took a bit to get into due to some unnecessarily awkward terminology choices (e.g., "human rights" vs. "Human Rights"). But the basis of Hopgood's cynical/skeptical attitude toward the prospect of human rights going forward, but also the merits of the justifying "metanarrative" upon which they stand at all, begins to make sense. I'm not wholly persuaded that an argument cannot be constructed for a universal ethical standard, at least as a floor of limits upon sovereignty, if not as a ceiling toward policies for maximal realization of human potential.… (mehr)

Full review located here: http://galactictidesx.blogspot.ca/2013/10/book-review-endtimes-of-human-rights-b...

Like most political books, I'm not sure I agree entirely with all of Hopgood's assertions. But it is worth the read and certainly will give you something to think about. I'd recommend this to anyone who is interested in humanitarian aid, human rights, historiography (as I said earlier the chapter on the framing of WWII is fascinating), constructivism and the creation of norms in the international system.

Full disclosure: I received this book as a Netgalley from Cornell University Press in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)