The Reduction of Mass Atrocity Crimes in East Asia: The Evolving Norms of ASEAN's Prevention Mechanisms

Authors

David A. Frank, University of OregonFollow

Abstract

ASEAN member states represent a region that has experienced a dramatic reduction in mass atrocity crimes in the last forty years. Scholars have identified three structural explanations for this reduction: the decrease in the use of mass atrocities as a tool of war, rising incomes, and the spread of democracy. The evolution of complex and contested human rights norms during this same period contributed significantly to the positive role played by the three structural factors in the decline of atrocity crimes. This paper highlights the human rights norms that anchor ASEAN atrocity prevention mechanisms and suggests that the association can serve as a model for other regional organizations.

Acknowledgements

Based on a paper presented to the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs Global Ethics Fellows Fifth Annual Conference, New York, NY, October 2015. I would like to thank Edward Luck, Dana Luck, and Alexander Bellamy for the conversations that inspired this essay.

DOI

http://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.11.3.1503

Recommended Citation

Frank, David A. (2018) "The Reduction of Mass Atrocity Crimes in East Asia: The Evolving Norms of ASEAN's Prevention Mechanisms," Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal: Vol. 11: Iss. 3: 98-108.
DOI:

http://doi.org/10.5038/1911-9933.11.3.1503

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License