Human Rights Quarterly is a comprehensive journal on issues of global dimension in the human rights arena. Journal articles concentrate on a wide range of subjects related to the principles embodied in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to the Quarterly's self-description, "[E]xperts from around the world and from a range of disciplines provide up-to-date information on global developments." Reviews of related books are regularly included. Scholarly, analytical, investigative, historical, critical, innovative (e.g., idea of "market discipline"), and exploratory (e.g., reparation for slavery) articles abound on a wide range of subjects. They encompass topics from human rights crimes of the Franco dictatorship in Spain, to the 1980 atrocities of the South Korean military, to the abandonment of human rights and respect for the rule of law in the "war on terrorism", to the need for a Bill of Rights in Reconstructing Northern Ireland, to the political repression of women, to the lack of clear standards for rescue at sea of asylum seekers, to HIV jurisprudence in India. The authors constitute a broad spectrum of many nationalities. A representative article reviews the unfavorable impact on human rights achievements by Africa 's newly formed democracies. Author Sakah S. Mahmud reveals individual human rights are subordinated to "the African concept" wherein the group pre-empts the individual. African leaders are perpetuating this approach for personal gain in power and wealth. While the article exposes the suppression of individual human rights, it fails to address the crucial matter of remedial measures which will assure adherence to the UN standard.
-By Richard Regnier.