In the spirit of Isaiah Berlin he argues that human rights can commanduniversal assent only if they are designed to protect and enhance the capacityof individua... » 

In the spirit of Isaiah Berlin he argues that human rights can commanduniversal assent only if they are designed to protect and enhance the capacityof individuals to lead the lives they wish. By embracing this approach andrecognizing that state sovereignty is the best guarantee against chaosIgnatieff concludes Western nations will have a better chance of extending thereal progress of the past fifty years. Throughout Ignatieff balances idealismwith a sure sense of practical reality earned from his years of travel in zonesof war and political turmoil around the globe. Based on the Tanner Lecturesthat Ignatieff delivered at Princeton Universitys Center for Human Values in2000 the book includes two chapters by Ignatieff an introduction by AmyGutmann comments by four leading scholars K. Anthony Appiah David A.Hollinger Thomas W. Laqueur and Diane F. Orentlicher and a response byIgnatieff. «