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In this highly original and timely book, Clifford Bob illuminates the heretofore dark side of political struggles for rights. While we tend to use the term in a diffuse, uncritical way, Bob reminds us that in the real world, rights are often deployed as rhetorical and legal weapons by groups in order to oppress others. Anyone interested in the strategic or moral dimensions of political contention will want to read this book. --Doug McAdam, Stanford University Rights as Weapons is a timely and important reminder that while human rights discourse can empower and liberate, it can also justify oppression by the powerful against the weak. Clifford Bob masterfully documents the ways in which actors in conflict use rights as weapons to amplify their own power. This book is a must-read. --Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, University of California, San Diego In this lucid and compelling account of historical and contemporary human rights struggles, Clifford Bob offers an entirely new lens for understanding how rights have been deployed to advance political objectives. Through an array of cases and adopting a realist perspective, he conceptualizes the different ways rights are being weaponized. A fantastic book. --Neve Gordon, coauthor of The Human Right to Dominate

With clarity and insight, Clifford Bob enlarges our perspective on rights claims, demonstrating how they are employed to strengthen the powerful, defend the indefensible, or protect the powerless. Highlighting rights strategies used by activists on the right and left, Bob helps us see that normative power in the modern global system is as much political strategy as moral claim. His book presents a less utopian and more accurate understanding of the possibilities and limitations of rights. --Stephen Hopgood, SOAS University of London In this highly original and timely book, Clifford Bob illuminates the heretofore dark side of political struggles for rights. While we tend to use the term in a diffuse, uncritical way, Bob reminds us that in the real world, rights are often deployed as rhetorical and legal weapons by groups in order to oppress others. Anyone interested in the strategic or moral dimensions of political contention will want to read this book. --Doug McAdam, Stanford University Rights as Weapons is a timely and important reminder that while human rights discourse can empower and liberate, it can also justify oppression by the powerful against the weak. Clifford Bob masterfully documents the ways in which actors in conflict use rights as weapons to amplify their own power. This book is a must-read. --Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, University of California, San Diego In this lucid and compelling account of historical and contemporary human rights struggles, Clifford Bob offers an entirely new lens for understanding how rights have been deployed to advance political objectives. Through an array of cases and adopting a realist perspective, he conceptualizes the different ways rights are being weaponized. A fantastic book. --Neve Gordon, coauthor of The Human Right to Dominate

In this lucid and compelling account of historical and contemporary human rights struggles, Clifford Bob offers an entirely new lens for understanding how rights have been deployed to advance political objectives. Through an array of cases and adopting a realist perspective, Bob conceptualizes the different ways rights are being weaponized. A fantastic book. --Neve Gordon, coauthor of The Human Right to Dominate

In this lucid and compelling account of historical and contemporary human rights struggles, Clifford Bob offers an entirely new lens for understanding how rights have been deployed to advance political objectives. Through an array of cases and adopting a realist perspective, he conceptualizes the different ways rights are being weaponized. A fantastic book. --Neve Gordon, coauthor of The Human Right to Dominate

Author Information

Clifford Bob is professor and chair of political science at Duquesne University. His previous books include The Marketing of Rebellion, The Global Right Wing and the Clash of World Politics, and The International Struggle for New Human Rights. Twitter @cliffordbob

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