Universal Rights Down to Earth

A path-blazing lesson on how to reconcile lofty human rights ambitions with political and cultural realities.

The idea of universal rights—rights shared by all citizens, regardless of nationality, creed, wealth, or geography—has a powerful grip on the way many people feel about justice and global politics. No one should be subjected to torture or disappearance, to starvation or sex trafficking, to economic exploitation or biased treatment under the law. But when it comes to actually enforcin...