POLI 244 Lecture Notes - Ethnic Conflict, Irredentism, Balkan Wars
Document Summary
Last class we were talking about the issue of human rights. There is a tension theoretically and practically concerning the study of ir. Human rights implies that individuals are more important than the states. Atl, invisions of human rights is a public good. Human rights are deritical concepts as much as political. Courts have become the forms where individuals assert their rights. Idea of universal jurisdiction (most controversial) which holds that the state can claim the right to prosecute someone for a crime against humanity regardless of their citizenship. The idea of universal jurisdiction is reserved for war crimes. One thing to consider is how the various theories discussed relates to this type of conflict. Ethnic conflict is understood in terms of civil war. Difficult to define because it has objective features (natural race and language) and subjective (socialized into these things). Social identity theory is introduced individuals associate in groups and in the process distinguish us from others.