Can Might Make Rights?: Building the Rule of Law after Military Interventions

by Jane Stromseth , David Wippman , Rosa Brooks

• ISBN13: 9780521678018
• ISBN10: 0521678013
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-25
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book looks at why it's so difficult to create 'the rule of law' in post-conflict societies such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and offers critical insights into how policy-makers and field-workers can improve future rule of law efforts. A must-read for policy-makers, field-workers, journalists and students trying to make sense of the international community's problems in Iraq and elsewhere, this book shows how a narrow focus on building institutions such as courts and legislatures misses the more complex cultural issues that affect societal commitment to the values associated with the rule of law. The authors place the rule of law in context, showing the interconnectedness between the rule of law and other post-conflict priorities, such as reestablishing security. The authors outline a pragmatic, synergistic approach to the rule of law which promises to reinvigorate debates about transitions to democracy and post-conflict reconstruction.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction: A New Imperialism?	1	(17)
Interventions and International Law: Legality and Legitimacy	18	(38)
What Is the Rule of Law?: A Pragmatic Definition and a Synergistic Approach	56	(29)
Blueprints for Post-Conflict Governance	85	(49)
Security as Sine Qua Non	134	(44)
The Challenge of Justice System Reform	178	(71)
Accountability for Atrocities: Moving Foreward by Looking Backward?	249	(61)
Creating Rule of Law Cultures	310	(37)
Enhancing Rule of Law Efforts: Planning, Funding, and Local Ownership	347	(41)
Conclusion	388	(5)
Index	393