International Human Rights Law

This chapter traces back the evolution of human rights from its inception leading to structural changes within international law, away from state-centrism towards a stronger focus on the individual, to its recent crisis and current developments,. It shows how the divide between human rights and other branches of international law (such as trade, investment, development) is the result of numerous failures, which date back to the aftermath of the Second World War, proceeded during and beyond the Cold War, and continued up into the 21st century.