Description: In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that was subsequently approved by the great majority of the world's governments. Human rights guarantees are also enshrined in the constitutions of nearly all of the world's sovereign states. Yet despite this apparently universal consensus, principles and policies often diverge, and the realities of human rights practice differ widely around the world. In The Age of Rights, Louis Henkin explores the principal issues and developments both in international human rights and in rights in the United States, and then compares the concepts and conditions of rights in various parts of the world. Henkin provides a mature, insightful survey of the developments in human rights law and politics from an international perspective. Considering the range of attitudes and practices surrounding the protection of individuals' rights from an international perspective in relation to American foreign policy and the American concept of "inalienable rights", Henkin offers an excellent overview of this vital issue. With a new preface bringing the work up to date for the 1990s. The Age of Rights will be essential reading for policymakers and for any reader interested in a global understanding of human rights.

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