Human Rights Watch issued their annual world report last week, summarizing the state of human rights in 66 countries around the globe. Written with the clarity and detail that marked previous annual issues, this year's report is distinguished by its note of guarded optimism. The report cites two main trends as evidence of a partial dismantling of national sovereignty as an impenetrable defense for human rights violators: international courts are increasingly attempting to bring sovereign leaders to justice and nations are more willing to act in concert against a single nation to oppose human rights violations. Separate sections of the report address special topics, such as academic freedom, child soldiers, the international campaign to ban landmines, and lesbian and gay rights.