From the International Boomerang to the “Domestic Boomerang”: Advocating for Corporate Accountability for Past Human Rights Abuses in Argentina

Abstract

The scholarship on human rights accountability developed during periods of authoritarian rule emphasises international pressure from the Global North as a key factor for successful advocacy. This chapter questions what could be viewed as an overreliance on transnational actors for advancing contemporary human rights accountability efforts. It contends that international pressure does not always exist to amplify Global South demands for human rights change, particularly in locations distant from the urban centres. It further argues that an international approach overlooks emerging independent accountability dynamics in the Global South. It proposes a complementary and alternative “domestic boomerang” strategy that recognises Global South human rights accountability even in remote locations in the Global South (the “below the below”). The chapter illustrates this novel theoretical framework with a case of corporate accountability in the aftermath of atrocity in Tucumán, Argentina: the “La Fronterita” case.