Scott WalkerUniversity of Canterbury

THE IMPACT OF FORCED DEMOCRATIZATION ATTEMPTS ON

HUMAN RIGHTS

What is the Relationship Between The Imposition of Democratic Institutions and Subsequent Respect of the New Regime for Human Rights?

Do Diff erent Types of Rights Go Together? (Milner et al. 1999)

Understanding Whether “Democracy” as a Justifi cation for Intervention Can Stand Up to Empirical Scrutiny When We Look Beyond the Formal Requirements of Democracy (Diamond)

Part of an Investigation into the Utility of the “Forcing Democracy” Thesis (History/Utility/Rationale) (Peceny 1999; Walker and Pearson 2007)

RATIONALES

• 1983 Intervention by USA to Oust Leftist Dictatorship

• Quick Return To Democracy

• Corresponding High Respect for Human Rights

• Very Small Caribbean Nation

• Almost a “Perfect” Intervention

GRENADA: THE PROTOTYPE

POLITICAL RIGHTS/CIVIL LIBERTIES, 1980-2013 (1-7 SCALE)

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Political Freedom, Grenada

Freedom House Score

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, PERSONAL INTEGRITY RIGHTS (1-5

SCALE)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 341

2

3

4

5

Personal Integrity Rights, Grenada

Amnesty Score

Ousting of Gen. Noriega in 1989

Quick Movement Toward Democratic Institutions

Gradual Improvement in Political Rights/Civil Liberties

Delayed Improvement in Personal Integrity Rights

Appears to Have Settled Into a Solid Democracy With High Levels of Respect for Human Rights

PANAMA: IMMEDIATE DEMOCRACY, SLOW MOVEMENT TOWARD HIGH

RESPECT FOR RIGHTS

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS, PANAMA(POLITY SCORE)

POLITICAL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES, PANAMA

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

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2010

2011

2012

2013

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Political Freedom, Panama

Freedom House Score

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, PERSONAL INTEGRITY RIGHTS (1-5

SCALE)

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

1

2

3

4

5

Personal Integrity Rights, Panama

Amnesty Score Exponential (Amnesty Score)

Civil War in 1980s

Democracy After Civil War

High Levels of Formal Democracy (Polity)

Borderline “Free” in Terms of Freedom House(Political Rights > Civil Liberties)

Inconsistent in Terms of Personal Integrity Right Protections

EL SALVADOR: A CLASSIC CASE OF “SHALLOW DEMOCRACY”

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS (POLITY SCORE)

POLITICAL RIGHTS/CIVIL LIBERTIES, 1980-2013 (1-7 SCALE)

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

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2006

2007

2008

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2011

2012

2013

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Political Freedom, El Salvador

Series1 Exponential (Series1)

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCORE (1-5 SCALE)

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

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2001

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2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

1

2

3

4

5

Personal Integrity Rights, El Salvador

Amnesty Score Linear (Amnesty Score)

High Levels of Institutional Democratic Forms Since 1989

Continued Insurgency

Borderline “Free” Country in Terms of Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Torture, Disappearances, Restrictions on Press Freedoms, Massacres

Sustained Institutional Openness Doesn’t Lead to High Levels

of Respect for Other forms of Rights

PHILIPPINES: AN ASIAN CASE OF SHALLOW DEMOCRACY

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS, POLITY SCORE

FREEDOM HOUSE SCORE, PHILIPPINES, 1981-2013

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

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1

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7

Political Freedom, Philippines

Freedom House Score Exponential (Freedom House Score)

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCORE,PHILIPPINES

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

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1993

1994

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2007

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2011

2012

2013

1

2

3

4

5

Personal Integrity Rights, Philippines

Amnesty Score

HAITI: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DEMOCRACY DOESN’T TAKE HOLD?

Several Democratic Elections, but Institutions Never Had Time to Take Root

Did Limited Experience With Democracy Lead Allow for Some Improvement in Respect for Individual Rights?

Limited Improvement in Political Rights and Civil Liberties, but Still at a Rather Low Level (“Partly Free”)

Torture, Kidnappings, Detentions Without Trial

But Relatively Tolerant of Media and Religious Freedom

Will Recent Restatement of Democratic Institutions Make a Diff erence Over Time?

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS(POLITY SCORE)

POLITICAL RIGHTS/CIVIL LIBERTIESHAITI, 1991-2013

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20131

2

3

4

5

6

7

Political Freedom, Haiti

Freedom House Score Linear (Freedom House Score)

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCORE, HAITI

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20131

2

3

4

5

Personal Integrity Rights, Haiti

Amnesty Score Exponential (Amnesty Score)

American-Imposed Leader in mid-1960s

Slow Improvement of Democratic Institutions

Sustained Good Performance on Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Continued Poor Performance on Personal Integrity Rights

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: AN INSTRUCTIVE CASE

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

POLITICAL RIGHTS/CIVIL LIBERTIES(1972-2013)

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

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2010

2012

1

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6

7

Political Freedom, Dominican Republic

Freedom House Score

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCORES,DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

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2012

1

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5

Personal Integrity Rights, Dominican Republic

Amnesty Score

Democratic Institutions may be a necessary condition for good human rights

Democratic Institutions are not a suffi cient condition for good human rights

The “Hollow Democracy” phenomenon appears to be a very real one in the case of American-led democratic regime changes

Not one clear pattern in the relationship between institutions and rights

Rights situations appear to be generally worse when there is a high degree of political instability

Democratic Institutions appear to Have a More Positive Eff ect on Political Rights than on Civil Liberties.

Need to Study the Interrelationship with Other

Factors

OBSERVATIONS

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