Return to Realism: Declining American Hegemony, Rising China, and the Future of ASEAN Human Rights
Keywords:
ASEAN, ASEAN human rights, realism, American hegemonyAbstract
In the late 1980’s, the institutionalization of human rights began in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As Western states promoted progressive values internationally, ASEAN states began liberalizing. In 2009, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was inaugurated. Since then, the AICHR has failed to intervene during many human rights abuses. This article studies the origins of AICHR, noting that with declining American hegemony and rising Chinese influence, Western-style human rights has lost regional promotion. United States (US) realism and Southeast Asian regionalism may leave human rights dependent on ASEAN member states.
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