Human Rights and Societies in Transition

Human rights violations are often particularly severe in transition societies undergoing significant political, social and economic transformations. Improving human rights practices in transition societies should therefore be a central goal for domestic reformers and the international community alike, not only because of the intrinsic value of improved human rights protection, but also because of the indirect effects that such improvements have on democratisation, economic development, and conflict resolution. The book contains papers from a number of international scholars in the fields of political science, sociology, law, and regional studies, which explore contemporary international human rights issues, factors predominantly responsible for human rights violations in transition societies, long-term consequences of such violations, and political remedies.

Shale Horowitz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Albrecht Schnabel is a Senior Research Fellow at swisspeace -- Swiss Peace Foundation, Bern