The Geopolitics of Shaming - (Princeton Studies in International History and Politics) by Rochelle Terman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A bold new perspective on the strategic logic of international human rights enforcement

When a government violates the rights of its citizens, the international community can respond by exerting moral pressure and urging reform. Yet many of the most egregious violations appear to go unpunished. In many cases, shaming not only fails to induce compliance but also incites a backlash, provoking resistance and worsening human rights practices. The Geopolitics of Shaming presents a new theory on the strategic logic of international human rights enforcement, revealing why and how states punish violations in other countries, when shaming leads to an improvement in human rights conditions, and when it backfires.

Drawing on a wide range of evidence--from large-scale cross-national data to original survey experiments and detailed case studies--Rochelle Terman shows how human rights shaming is a deeply political process, one that operates in and through strategic relationships. Arguing that preexisting geopolitical relationships condition both the causes and consequences of shaming in world politics, she shows how adversaries are quick to condemn human rights abuses but often provoke a counterproductive response, while friends and allies are the most effective shamers but can be reluctant to impose meaningful sanctions.

Upending conventional wisdom on the role of norms in world affairs, The Geopolitics of Shaming demonstrates that politicization is integral to--not a corruption of--the success of the global human rights project.

Review Quotes

"A valuable contribution to our understanding of human rights enforcement in the international arena."---Brett J. Kyle, International Dialogue

"Winner of the Lepgold Prize, Georgetown University"

"[The Geopolitics of Shaming] challenges conventional wisdom on the role of norms in world affairs and demonstrates that politicization is integral to the success of the global human rights project. . . . For human rights promoters, this study provides a warning on the potential risks of shaming. The key insight is that, when it comes to enforcing human rights, the critic matters as much as (and perhaps more than) the criticism."---Zheng Chen, China International Strategy Review

"Winner of the Best Book Award, Foreign Policy Section of the American Political Science Association"

"A solid basis in which to interrogate shaming and think through its impacts - [The Geopolitics of Shaming] is thus a necessary read for policymakers and activists alike."---Usman Butt, Middle East Monitor

"Winner of the Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award, American Political Science Association"

"Winner of the Best Book Award, International Collaboration Section of the American Political Science Association"

"Rochelle Terman establishes a new theoretical approach to examine when shaming improves human rights conditions, when it is ineffective and when it is counterproductive. . . . An invaluable contribution."---Serena Clark, International Affairs

"Terman breaks important ground in illuminating when, how, and under what conditions states engage in 'naming and shaming' other countries to punish them for human rights transgressions . . . [She] does not deny the importance of upholding human rights standards, but she does demonstrate quite elegantly that politics and state interests lurk at every turn."---G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs

About the Author

Rochelle Terman is assistant professor of political science at the University of Chicago.