Genocide, Torture, and Terrorism Ranking International Crimes and Justifying Humanitarian Intervention

by Simon, Thomas W.

• ISBN13: 9781137415103
• ISBN10: 113741510X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-11-04
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

In this book, the author argues that politicians use our discomfort in 'ranking' moral atrocities to manipulate our sense of injustice and serve their interests. He argues that while genocides such as the Holocaust and Rwanda are universally recognized as the worst crimes imaginable, the War on Terror has distorted our sense of atrocity by minimizing torture and exaggerating terrorism. Simon advocates for an international criminal code with clearly defined and ranked injustices that would rehabilitate humanitarian intervention and replace an impotent duty to protect with a committed duty to act.

Author Biography

Thomas W. Simon is Professor of International Law at Johns Hopkins University's School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, China. His books include: Minority Protection & Ethnic Identity, The Laws of Genocide, Democracy & Social Injustice, Law & Philosophy, and Inside China's Legal System. He has held law fellowships at Harvard Law School, USA, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and University of Malaya, Malaysia.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I: COMPARING INJUSTICES: THE CENTRALITY OF GENOCIDE
1. Comparing Wrongs
2. Comparing Genocides
3. Rwanda: Devalued Injustice
PART II: COMPARATIVE APPLICATIONS: WAR ON TERROR'S DISTORTIONS
4. Torture: Undervalued Injustice
5. Terrorism: Overvalued Injustice
PART III: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE
6. Universal Wrongs: Jus Cogens
7. Duty to Act: Beyond Duty to Protect
Conclusion
Appendix A: Genocide, Torture, and Terrorism Compared
Appendix B: International Crimes Compared
Bibliography
Index