A comparision of the United Nations and the European Union as agents of norm diffusion: Darfur crisis in Sudan and freedom of expression in Turkey

Abstract

International organizations contribute to the diffusion of international norms. Although the impact of domestic conductivity on norm compliance is evident, the level of enforcement mechanism of these organizations does matter as well. Human rights norms as the most influential idea of the recent decades gained prominence in foreign policies of the states as well as in international law with the creation of international organizations. The United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) are today the most influential players in human rights promotion. Nevertheless, their impacts on the delinquent states differ significantly. From a rationalist perspective, this thesis will argue that despite the fact that the UN has been the legal guardian of human rights norms, the EU is a better promoter largely due to its political conditionalities on the future member states and it is more successful at sustaining domestic change regarding human rights due to the attractiveness of its reward: full membership. This thesis, therefore, focuses on the role of these organizations in promoting human rights and facilitating norm diffusion specifically by looking at the UN's role in Sudan regarding Darfur crisis, and the EU's impact on Turkey regarding freedom of expression.