As an adaptation to the challenging contemporary climate for human rights, several academic critics have urged advocates to become more “pragmatic” by abandoning the “utopian” aspirations of international human rights law in favor of more flexible and negotiable vocabularies and strategies of changemaking. There is little doubt that more creative and context-sensitive approaches are needed. While a greater willingness to explore unconventional strategies is important, they may come with costs and tradeoffs that need careful assessment.

The full article can be found on Open Global Rights.