“Is the traditional divide between domestic and international politics breaking down?” and, if so, with what effects on transnational human rights activism? This paper argues that small and focused transnational campaigns can have dramatic short-term results that its large-scale and bureaucratic cousins are too slow-moving to effect; it illustrates the importance of often-fleeting political opportunities in opening windows for non-state public action; and using four different transnational campaigns, it shows how loosely coupled mechanisms and processes link domestic and international politics.