Global responsibilities

Andrew Kuper

According to traditional models of human rights, states are responsible for securing the rights of their citizens. But these models do not fit reality: States are often unwilling or unable to live up to their obligations, but if human rights are to be more than empty words, then we must identify who bears the obligation to deliver on those rights. Could new powerful global actors - from nonprofit organizations to multinational corporations - hold a key to safeguarding human rights in the face of globalization? Or are they rogue actors who can never be held accountable? In Global Responsibilities, some of the world's leading theorists of ethics, politics, international relations, and economics-including Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen and philosopher Peter Singer-ask and answer the question: Who must deliver on human rights? The contributors examine the principles necessary for effectively allocating obligations to states as well as non-state actors. They apply this newresponsibilities approach to human rights to urgent problems; such as poverty relief, multiculturalism, corporate responsibility, trade standards, and the reform of multilateral institutions. Global Responsibilities is essential reading for anyone committed to achieving human rights in the era of globalization.