Overview

Every day, we are exposed to evidence of hundreds of war crimes: residential buildings bombed and burning in Ukraine, merciless shootings in Gaza despite a so-called ceasefire, civilians beaten and starved by armies in Sudan and a mounting number of aid workers and journalists murdered by soldiers. The evidence proves guilt beyond reasonable doubt, but we know there will be few, if any, prosecutions. In this powerful book, distinguished human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson exposes the 'fraud' that is international humanitarian law. Drawing on his experience as a UN war crimes judge, he considers some of the most pressing legal issues of our time, including torture, nuclear weapons, drone warfare and the fallacy of 'anticipatory self-defence'. In the face of such threats, and with an impotent Security Council neutered by the world's most powerful aggressors, modern democracies are increasingly vulnerable to conflict and invasion. Most importantly in an age of amoral warlords like Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, the book warns that we are losing sight of Nuremberg's legacy: that there can be no peace without justice. This authoritative and deeply humane work is both a rallying defence of moral law and a resounding condemnation of those who defy it.

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9781785909771

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Geoffrey Robertson AO KC is founding head of Doughty Street Chambers, Europe's largest human rights practice. He has had a distinguished career as a trial and appellate counsel in Britain and in international courts, defending, among others, Julian Assange, Salman Rushdie, Gay News, Lula and reporters from The Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. He has served as a UN appeal judge and as the first president of its war crimes court in Sierra Leone. His book Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice has been hailed as an inspiration for the global justice movement. He is a Master of the Middle Temple and a recipient of the New York Bar Association award for distinction in international law. For services to human rights, he received an Order of Australia and a sanction from Russia.

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