A Selective Approach to Establishing a Human Rights Mechanism in Southeast Asia—The Case for a Southeast Asian Court of Human Rights

A specialist in international law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vietnam, Phan presents a revision of his 2009 dissertation in international human rights law at American University. In it he proposes a selective approach to establishing a court of human rights for Southeast Asia for adoption by more advanced human rights states in the region. The court would operate in parallel with the Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and could gradually expand to include other nations in the region as they become capable and willing to join. He considers an institutional theory of human rights protection, the legal framework, the case for a strong AICHR, a selective approach to establishing a strong mechanism, and designing a Southeast Asian court of human rights. Martinus Nijhoff is an imprint of Brill. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Dr. Hao Duy Phan is a legal expert in international law. He has published in the Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal, East Asia Law Review, Asia-Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law, and Contemporary Southeast Asia, among others. He has been a fellow at the East-West Center in Washington D.C. and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, and has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. He received a B.A. in International Law from the Institute for International Relations of Vietnam, an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from Notre Dame Law School, and an S.J.D. in International Law from the American University Washington College of Law.