Between Commitement and Pragmatism: Assessing International Influence on Human Rights Practices in Georgia
Issue Date
2010Author
Omelicheva, Mariya Y.
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, author accepted manuscript
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
What explains the discrepancy between the avowed commitment of the Georgian
government to human rights and praxis of human rights in the post-Rose Revolution
republic? This article engages with this question and attributes persistent breaches of
civil, political, and personal integrity rights in Georgia not only to its domestic
circumstances, but also to the international impact. The study develops a reference
group theory, a type of social theory that stresses the influence of social groups of
states on policies and behavior of their members. Reference groups endorse goals,
values, and standards of behavior for their members and serve as the “frames of
reference” that enable other states to assess the effectiveness and legitimacy of their
actions. The findings of this study indicate that Georgia’s reference groups, particularly
the United States, contributed to its backsliding on human rights by (1) supporting the
Georgian government in its goal of rebuilding the state prior to democratizing it and
strengthening respect for human rights; (2) redirecting financial and other assistance
from democracy promotion to state-building projects; and (3) providing the Georgian
government with flattering, yet, misleading feedback concerning the republic’s
accomplishments in the area of human rights.
Description
This is an author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication following peer review. The publisher version is available on its site.
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Citation
Omelicheva, Mariya Y. Between Commitment and Pragmatism: Assessing International
Influence on Human Rights Practices in Georgia, Journal of Human Rights, 9(4): 445-466, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2010.522925
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