Based on case studies of five Third World countries - Sri Lanka, the Philippines, China, Indonesia, and Suriname - Gillies explores the extent to which policy principles were applied in practice, showing that consistent, coordinated, and principled action is elusive even for countries with a reputation for internationalism. He highlights the growing rift between North Atlantic democracies and emerging Asian economic powers, the effectiveness of using aid sanctions to defend human rights, and the vicissitudes of human rights programming in emerging democracies. On a theoretical level, Gillies examines the explanatory power of political realism and the scope for ethical conduct in a world of states. Linking policy assertiveness with perceived costs to other national interests, he constructs a framework for analysing policy actions and applies it to his various case studies, concluding that when it comes to human rights the gap between principle and practice is still far too wide.

David Gillies is principal researcher, Fragile and Conflict-Affected States, The North-South Institute in Ottawa.

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"Gillies has written an excellent study of the human rights diplomacy of Canada, the Netherlands, and Norway in the developing world. Comprehensive, well researched, assiduously documented, and clearly written, Between Principle and Practice will be of value to a range of scholars, not only those working in the field of human rights but those with an interest in foreign policy, North-South relations, and international relations theory." Robert Matthews, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto.

Michael Cottrell, Department of History, University of Saskatchewan