Governing elites strategically ratify human rights treaties by entering reservations—a legal workaround to maintain policy autonomy. This approach hinges on anticipating domestic conflicts with treaty obligations.

• Tension Between International Commitments & Domestic Priorities: Executives navigate this through strategic reservations tailored to specific national contexts and political dynamics.

• Reservations as a Governance Tool: The types of reservations reflect variations in executive-legislative relations, institutional strength, or the nature of domestic policies being shielded.

This article analyzes an original dataset of UN treaty reservations using event history analysis. It demonstrates how these strategic accommodations correlate with anticipated challenges and help explain patterns in global human rights governance.