The Criminal State
War, Atrocity, and the Dream of International Justice
$109.74
- Hardcover
456 pages
- Release Date
14 July 2026
Summary
A sweeping history of the struggle to hold states to account for their gravest crimes
The Criminal State offers a gripping account of how law has confronted the most radical forms of state violence. Beautifully written, broad in scope, and bracingly original, it weaves history with political thought to trace the shifting legal response to state aggression and atrocities, from Leopold’s rule over the Congo to Putin’s war in Ukraine.
At its heart is Law…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780691180410 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0691180415 |
| Author: | Lawrence Douglas |
| Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
| Imprint: | Princeton University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 456 |
| Release Date: | 14 July 2026 |
| Weight: | 898g |
| Dimensions: | 155mm x 235mm |
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Critics Review
“One of Foreign Policy’s Most Anticipated Books of the Year”
“In this masterful history, Douglas chronicles the long struggle to hold states to account for war crimes.”—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs
“Douglas deftly weaves together philosophy, history, and law to show how the international community has beaten a hasty retreat from prosecuting the crime of aggression since Nuremberg.”—Laura Mills, Foreign Policy
”[A] comprehensive history of the evolution of laws criminalizing state violence… . A lucid investigation of a complex area of international law and the political order.” * Kirkus Reviews *
“The Criminal State is essential reading.”—Sunny Peter, Diplomacy & Politics
Lawrence Douglas
Lawrence Douglas is the James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought at Amherst College and a Guggenheim fellow. His many books include The Right Wrong Man and The Memory of Judgment. His writing has appeared in leading publications such as Harper’s, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. He is a regular contributor to The Times Literary Supplement and The Guardian.
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