Will Rising Democracies Adopt Pro-human Rights Foreign Policies?

The policy brief examines the tension between national interests and human rights values in the foreign policies of emerging democracies like Brazil, India, Indonesia, and South Africa. While these states have collaborated with established democracies on specific crises in Myanmar, North Korea, and Libya, the author identifies significant cleavages driven by a preference for sovereignty, non-intervention, and economic interests. The document highlights how historical grievances against Northern hegemony and fear of reciprocal criticism of domestic records inhibit a consistent pro-human rights stance. However, it notes that transnational advocacy, the globalisation of media, and international mechanisms like the UN Human Rights Council provide pathways to pressure states toward greater accountability.

• Democratic governments globally exhibit hypocrisy by privileging national interests over human rights values when the two conflict, though they are encouraged to align practice with their proclaimed rhetoric.
• Emerging democracies in the global South often adopt a fragmented approach to human rights in foreign policy, frequently opting for 'strategic autonomy' and realpolitik over value-based action.
• Several factors hinder cooperation between the global South and Northern powers on human rights, including historical grievances regarding colonialism and hegemony, and a desire to counter the United States' approach to regime change.
• A strong emphasis on sovereignty and non-intervention often outweighs the 'Responsibility to Protect' (R2P) principle, as evidenced by the international community's ineffective response to the crisis in Syria.
• States avoid criticizing the human rights records of other nations to prevent inviting scrutiny of their own domestic issues, such as India's approach to Kashmir or Brazil's stance toward Venezuela.
• Transnational advocacy networks, the proliferation of real-time media, and UN mechanisms like the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) increase pressure on democratic states to address human rights violations.
• Progress toward pro-human rights foreign policies typically requires a 'trifecta' of determined activism by NGOs and media, pressure from national legislatures, and support from enlightened government officials.

APA

Piccone, T. (2014). Will Rising Democracies Adopt Pro-human Rights Foreign Policies? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-105.pdf

Chicago

Piccone, Ted. Will Rising Democracies Adopt Pro-human Rights Foreign Policies? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-105.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Piccone |first1=Ted |title=Will Rising Democracies Adopt Pro-human Rights Foreign Policies? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=September 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-105.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{piccone2014will, author = {Piccone, Ted}, title = {{Will Rising Democracies Adopt Pro-human Rights Foreign Policies?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-105.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }