In the past, violations of human rights were commonly portrayed as atrocities perpetrated by tyrannical dictatorships. Today, the images of torture at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, and the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, put the lie to this assumption. State violations of human rights have a global reach.

Tony Evan's introduction to the politics of human rights examines the impact of globalisation on global human rights. He argues that the state’s role in protecting and promoting rights has been severely weakened under globalisation – and that the emerging global order may be a cause of many human rights violations. As the value of the market grows, the value of individual human rights decreases.

The Politics of Human Rights departs from traditional interpretations of human rights by focusing on the political economy of human rights, rather than on the philosophical or legal aspects.