A Most Unlikely Case: Chile, Pinochet and the Advance of Human Rights
Abstract
This article argues that Chile has had a disproportionate effect on the international politics and law of human rights. Understood in traditional realist terms, Chile is a relatively small country that only recently joined the OECD and that should not have a great deal of impact on international affairs. Yet, for the 40 years since the 1973 military coup that overthrew the government of Salvador Allende it has received a tremendous amount of attention from other states (particularly the United States), inter-governmental organisations and international non-governmental organisations, while at the same time has had a great deal of impact on the public discourse and understanding around human rights in ways that have advanced international law and policy making. The article examines the unlikely nature of Chile’s influence on human rights at the international level while recognising that very little true justice has been achieved at the domestic level for the gross violations of human rights that had been committed during the Pinochet dictatorship. The case of Chile is thus an illustrative example of ‘the power of human rights’ that has contributed to the ‘justice cascade’ in significant way, even though true justice at home has been slow in coming.Keywords:
human rights, transitional justice, transnational advocacy, democratic transformation, universal jurisdiction.References
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Brownlie, Ian (1998). Principles of Public International Law, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Breuer, Anita, Landman, Todd and Farquhar, Dorothea (2012). Social Media and Protest Mobilization: Evidence from the Tunisian Revolution, Paper prepared for the 4th European Communication Conference for the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), Istanbul, Turkey, 24-27 October 2012.
Brysk, A. and Shafir, G.(eds) (2007). National Insecurity and Human Rights: Democracies Debate Counterterrorism, Berkeley: University of California Press.
Constable, Pamela and Valenzuela, Arturo (1991). A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet, New York: Norton.
Dinges, John (2004). The Condor Years: How Pinochet and His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents, New York: The New Press.
Donnelly, J. (1986). “International human rights: A regime analysis”. International Organization, Vol. 40, N° 3, pp.599-642.
Donnelly, J. (1999). “Democracy, development, and human rights”. Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 21, N°3, pp. 608-632.
Eckstein, Harry (1975). “Case-study and Theory in Political Science”. In F.I. Greenstein and N.S. Polsby (eds) Handbook of Political Science, Vol. 7: Strategies of Inquiry. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 79–137.
Falk, R. (2000). Human Rights Horizons: The Pursuit of Justice in a Globalizing World. London: Routledge.
Foweraker, J. and Landman T. (1997). Citizenship Rights and Social Movements: A Comparative and Statistical Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hawkins, Darren (2002). International Human Rights and Authoritarian Rule in Chile, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Hayner, P.B. (1994) “Fifteen Truth Commissions 1974–1994: A Comparative Study”. Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 16, N°4, pp.597–655.
Hayner, P. B. (2002). Unspeakable Truths: Facing the Challenge of Truth Commissions, London: Routledge.
Huneeus, Carlos (2006). The Pinochet Regime, Boulder: Lynne Reiner.
Kornbluh, Peter (2003). The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability, New York: The New Press.
Landman, Todd (2004). Pinochet’s Chile: The United States, Human Rights, and International Terrorism”. Human Rights and Human Welfare, Vol.4, N°1, pp.91-99.
Landman, T. (2005a). Protecting Human Rights: A Comparative Study. Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
Landman, T. (2005b) “Review article: The political science of human rights”. British Journal of Political Science, Vol.35, N°3, pp.549-572.
Landman, Todd (2006). Studying Human Rights. London and New York: Routledge.
Landman, Todd (2013). Human Rights and Democracy: The Precarious Triumph of Ideals. London: Bloomsbury.
Landman, Todd and Carvalho, Edzia (2009). Measuring Human Rights, London: Routledge.
Loveman, Brian (1993). The Constitution of Tyranny: Regimes of Exception in Spanish America, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Poe, S.C. and Tate, C.N. (1994). “Repression of Human Rights to Personal Integrity in the 1980s: A Global Analysis” American Political Science Review, Vol. 88, N°4, pp. 853–872.
Reiff, David (1999). ‘The Precarious Triumph of Human Rights,’ New York Times, 8 August; http://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/08/magazine/the-precarious-triumph- of-human-rights.html.
Revel, Jean Francois (1978). The Totalitarian Temptation. New York: Penguin.
Risse, T., Ropp, S.C., Sikkink, K. (eds) (1999). The Power of Human Rights: International Norms and Domestic Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Risse, T., Ropp, S.C., Sikkink, K. (eds) (2013). The Persistent Power of Human Rights: From Commitment to Compliance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Roht-Arriaza, Noami (2005). The Pinochet Effect: Transnational Justice in the Age of Human Rights. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Sands, Philippe (2006). Lawless World America and the Making and Breaking of Global Rules. New York: Penguin.
Seybolt, Taylor, Aronson, Jay and Fishoff, Baruch (eds) (2013). Counting Civilian Casualties: An Introduction to Recording and Estimating Nonmilitary Deaths in Conflict. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sikkink, Kathryn (2011). The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions Are Changing World Politics. New York: Norton.
Smith-Cannoy, Heather (2012). Insincere Commitments: Human Rights Treaties, Abusive States and Citizen Activism, Washington DC: Georgetown University Press.
Spooner, Mary Helen (2011). The General’s Slow Retreat: Chile After Pinochet. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Valenzuela, Arturo (1989). “Chile: Origins, Consolidation, and Breakdown of a Democratic Regime”. En Larry Diamond, Juan Linz, and Seymour Martin Lipset (eds) Democracy in Developing Countries: Latin America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 159-206.
Valenzuela, Arturo and Valenzuela, Samuel (eds) (1986). Military Rule in Chile: Dictatorship and Oppositions, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Brownlie, Ian (1998). Principles of Public International Law, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Breuer, Anita, Landman, Todd and Farquhar, Dorothea (2012). Social Media and Protest Mobilization: Evidence from the Tunisian Revolution, Paper prepared for the 4th European Communication Conference for the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), Istanbul, Turkey, 24-27 October 2012.
Brysk, A. and Shafir, G.(eds) (2007). National Insecurity and Human Rights: Democracies Debate Counterterrorism, Berkeley: University of California Press.
Constable, Pamela and Valenzuela, Arturo (1991). A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet, New York: Norton.
Dinges, John (2004). The Condor Years: How Pinochet and His Allies Brought Terrorism to Three Continents, New York: The New Press.
Donnelly, J. (1986). “International human rights: A regime analysis”. International Organization, Vol. 40, N° 3, pp.599-642.
Donnelly, J. (1999). “Democracy, development, and human rights”. Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 21, N°3, pp. 608-632.
Eckstein, Harry (1975). “Case-study and Theory in Political Science”. In F.I. Greenstein and N.S. Polsby (eds) Handbook of Political Science, Vol. 7: Strategies of Inquiry. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 79–137.
Falk, R. (2000). Human Rights Horizons: The Pursuit of Justice in a Globalizing World. London: Routledge.
Foweraker, J. and Landman T. (1997). Citizenship Rights and Social Movements: A Comparative and Statistical Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hawkins, Darren (2002). International Human Rights and Authoritarian Rule in Chile, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Hayner, P.B. (1994) “Fifteen Truth Commissions 1974–1994: A Comparative Study”. Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 16, N°4, pp.597–655.
Hayner, P. B. (2002). Unspeakable Truths: Facing the Challenge of Truth Commissions, London: Routledge.
Huneeus, Carlos (2006). The Pinochet Regime, Boulder: Lynne Reiner.
Kornbluh, Peter (2003). The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability, New York: The New Press.
Landman, Todd (2004). Pinochet’s Chile: The United States, Human Rights, and International Terrorism”. Human Rights and Human Welfare, Vol.4, N°1, pp.91-99.
Landman, T. (2005a). Protecting Human Rights: A Comparative Study. Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press.
Landman, T. (2005b) “Review article: The political science of human rights”. British Journal of Political Science, Vol.35, N°3, pp.549-572.
Landman, Todd (2006). Studying Human Rights. London and New York: Routledge.
Landman, Todd (2013). Human Rights and Democracy: The Precarious Triumph of Ideals. London: Bloomsbury.
Landman, Todd and Carvalho, Edzia (2009). Measuring Human Rights, London: Routledge.
Loveman, Brian (1993). The Constitution of Tyranny: Regimes of Exception in Spanish America, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Poe, S.C. and Tate, C.N. (1994). “Repression of Human Rights to Personal Integrity in the 1980s: A Global Analysis” American Political Science Review, Vol. 88, N°4, pp. 853–872.
Reiff, David (1999). ‘The Precarious Triumph of Human Rights,’ New York Times, 8 August; http://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/08/magazine/the-precarious-triumph- of-human-rights.html.
Revel, Jean Francois (1978). The Totalitarian Temptation. New York: Penguin.
Risse, T., Ropp, S.C., Sikkink, K. (eds) (1999). The Power of Human Rights: International Norms and Domestic Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Risse, T., Ropp, S.C., Sikkink, K. (eds) (2013). The Persistent Power of Human Rights: From Commitment to Compliance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Roht-Arriaza, Noami (2005). The Pinochet Effect: Transnational Justice in the Age of Human Rights. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Sands, Philippe (2006). Lawless World America and the Making and Breaking of Global Rules. New York: Penguin.
Seybolt, Taylor, Aronson, Jay and Fishoff, Baruch (eds) (2013). Counting Civilian Casualties: An Introduction to Recording and Estimating Nonmilitary Deaths in Conflict. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sikkink, Kathryn (2011). The Justice Cascade: How Human Rights Prosecutions Are Changing World Politics. New York: Norton.
Smith-Cannoy, Heather (2012). Insincere Commitments: Human Rights Treaties, Abusive States and Citizen Activism, Washington DC: Georgetown University Press.
Spooner, Mary Helen (2011). The General’s Slow Retreat: Chile After Pinochet. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Valenzuela, Arturo (1989). “Chile: Origins, Consolidation, and Breakdown of a Democratic Regime”. En Larry Diamond, Juan Linz, and Seymour Martin Lipset (eds) Democracy in Developing Countries: Latin America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 159-206.
Valenzuela, Arturo and Valenzuela, Samuel (eds) (1986). Military Rule in Chile: Dictatorship and Oppositions, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
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