The Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and the Department of Political Science at Columbia University present:
Book Panel: “Human Rights for Pragmatists: Social Power in Modern Times” by Jack Snyder (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2022)
Panel Discussion with:
Professor Jack Snyder, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations, Department of Political Science, Columbia University
Aryeh Neier, Co-Founder, Human Rights Watch, Former Executive Director, ACLU, President Emeritus, Open Society Foundations
Alexander Cooley, Claire Tow Professor of Political Science, Barnard College
Sheri Berman, Professor of Political Science, Barnard College
Moderated by Anne Nelson, Author, Journalist, and Research Scholar, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies
Thursday, October 13, 2022
4:10pm-6:00pm
1512 International Affairs
Hybrid Format
Webinar Registration
About the Book
Jack Snyder’s Human Rights for Pragmatists: Social Power in Modern Times explores why human rights promoters have reached an impasse, despite the fact that they are among our most pressing issues of our day. While activists prioritize universal legal and moral norms, and bolster their efforts with the public shaming of violators, rights only prevail when they serve the interests of powerful local constituencies. Human Rights for Pragmatists ultimately demonstrates that where local power and politics lead, rights follow, and Jack Snyder presents an innovative roadmap for addressing a broad agenda of human rights concerns including, but not limited to, impunity for atrocities, dilemmas of free speech in the age of social media, and entrenched abuses of women’s rights.
