Customer Reviews

Law and War

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Peter Maguire has written an outstanding history of America's involvement with the law of war through the 1960s. As the U.S. Military Academy's former law of war course director, I have read many books adddressing similar territory. This is the best I know of -- well-written, with an intelligent viewpoint and an informed basis for commentary. Maguire begins in the nation's indian combats, covers the civil war, World War I, and concentrates on World War II, covering all with a succinct and inisightful commentary that illustrates America's not always sterling record. Virtually every paragraph contains some informative and fascinating element. His analysis is always well-done, always well-researched and, most significantly, always interesting. Anyone with an interest in World War II, or in the law, or simply in good books, will appreciate and enjoy this text.

This is a good book that I stumbled upon in an unnamed university bookstore in the not-to-recent past. In it the author explores the ways in which law-- most specifically legal proceedings-- have come to play in regard to war. Specifically, he addresses how legal proceedings have come to play in war: from U.S. trials regarding soldier's conduct against native Americans up through the twentieth century. His conclusions are relatively cynical: when it comes to practice, courts are often more-than-less objects of show as opposed to instruments of justice.

This is a very good, well written read by a person who has spent a good deal of time getting acquainted with his subject matter such that he can present it clearly and capably. This book is a must-read for any student of ethics of international politics or international law focusing on war....

Peter Macguire has written and excellent book that gets right into the inside of the attitudes and policies of the war-making super power. Although he wrote this before the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, its creepy to note that Machiavellian monsters are still busy planning wars as if the last hundred years and live news coverage didn't exist.

It notes the American attitude to war, victory and body count policies from late 1800s to Nuremberg. From Jingoists to Capitalist-Imperialists- there are exceptions of race and empathiable humanity when killing in large numbers. The top brass are usually malignant narcissists with little empathy for human lives anyway and the officer class usually suffer the remorse of the battle field. I mean- really- this stuff should be required foreign policy reading.

After reading this, I immediately followed up with other Nuremberg books just for extension. The Balengiga Massacre is particularly important to me because it was in my ancestral home province. Nice to know I have bad-ass ancestors even if they were massacred down to the toddlers.

Very well researched. Great reference.

There are already several good reviews on this book, so I will only suggest reading the following books (dealing with USA law and war, constitutional and political ideas) in addition to Maguire's interesting and readable work:

1) "War and the Law of Nations: A General History" by Stephen C. Neff;

2) "Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime: From the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism" by Geoffrey R. Stone

3) "Justice in Blue and Gray: A Legal History of the Civil War", also by Stephen C. Neff;

4) "Lincoln's Constitution" by Daniel A. Farber; and

5) The Anatomy of the Nuremberg Trials: A Personal Memoir - Paperback (Nov. 1993) by Telford Taylor

PS There is 2010 2nd Edition of this work, which is the one I have read.