Abstract
The overall goal of this article is to map events that reveal the relevance of the participation of individuals and transnational activist movements in reshaping international norms and institutions. Individuals and transnational social movements have played decisive roles in both the origin of the idea of protecting the individual from international institutions, regardless of state representation, and in the action and strategy of interference transnational public advocacy networks in the institutionalization of defense mechanisms of the individual and social groups in the context of international politics. The hypothesis is that the individual can be seen not only as an object of protection of international law, but has emerged as an agent that interferes with the rule changes and the creation of international institutions, even without traditional instruments of political intervention, representation or participation. A historical-analytical tour about motivators and barriers to action of the individual as an agent in international politics does not lead to the conclusion that the states are no longer privileged actors, but suggests that consideration of the role of transnational public advocacy networks and the individual plaintiffs can impact international relations.
New Social Movements; Transnational Advocacy Networks; Non-State Actors; The Red Cross; International Criminal Court
