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23 Hum. Rts. Q. 701 (2001)
Human Rights in the Arab World: A Regional Perspective

handle is hein.journals/hurq23 and id is 713 raw text is: HUMAN RIGHTS QUARTERLY Human Rights in the Arab World: A Regional Perspective Abdullahi A. An-Na'im*l I. INTRODUCTION The premise of this regional review and assessment of the human rights movement in the Arab world is that the wide variety of strategies for the effective and sustainable protection of these rights should always be determined and implemented in specific local, regional and global context. The paradox of self-regulation by the state in the definition and implemen- tation of human rights standards, as briefly explained below, would emphasize the role of civil society. However, because both state and civil society tend to influence each other, either in favor or against the protection of human rights, through internal processes as well as external influence, these relationships should also be understood in local, regional and global contexts. The challenge facing the advocates of the protection of human rights in any part of the world is how to promote positive aspects of these processes, and combat or minimize negative dimensions of these dynamic relation- ships. At all levels of analysis and action, one should seek to combine the best possible immediate response to specific problems with long term strategies for addressing the root causes and structural factors in the persistence of human rights violations. Because this combination can only be implemented through some sort of division of labor, it is necessary to coordinate the activities of local, regional and international actors accord- ing to an agreed framework. * Abdullahi An-Na'im is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Law, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; formerly Associate Professor of Law, University of Khartoum, Sudan. 1. I am profoundly grateful for the extensive research assistance of Essam El-Din Hassan, Research Director of the Hisham Mubarak Legal Center, Cairo, Egypt; and the helpful comments of Bahey Eldin Hassan, Emma Playfair, Clarisa Bencomo, and Ricky Goldstein. All the views and analysis presented here are my responsibility. Human Rights Quarterly 23 (2001) 701-732 (D 2001 by The Johns Hopkins University Press