Human rights have become an ever more important aspect of policies designed to address so-called ethno-political conflicts: their violation is seen as an indicator for conflict intensification, and their institutionalization has become a widespread precondition for development aid to ensure its effective distribution within a peaceful society. The promotion of liberal democracy, including human rights, to spread peace has legitimized a series of interventions – some military – by international actors. These efforts assume a close link between the institutionalization of human rights and what we will call positive conflict transformation as well as peacebuilding, especially if framed within the context of human security (Dunne and Wheeler, 2004, Mertus and Helsing, 2006). However, they often do not make this link clear, nor do they carefully analyse the conditions under which the advocacy of human rights is effective or the variety of forms it can take (for an exception see Parlevliet, 2009).