Customer Reviews

Law at War: The Law as it Was and the Law as it Should Be (International Humanitarian Law)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This collection of essays is a jubilant celebration of the professional life of esteemed Swedish Professor of International Law Ove Bring. However, to write this book off merely as the Liber Amicorum to Bring that it openly states to be, would be to miss out on some of the finest legal writing that has emerged from Scandinavia in recent years. With a heavy focus on Nordic writers, the issues and topics are nonetheless decidedly international and worthy of a global audience. While some international legal writing is about as inspired as, say, the instruction manual for a new fridge, this collection breaks new ground in combining theory and reflection into a style that is at once informative and fluent.

The essays are diverse and range from the personal (such as Corell's touching account of life and decision-making in the UN Security Council) to the normative (including Osterdahl's chapter on the opportunities of various potential actors to position themselves as subjects of international law, in the developing doctrine concerning the law on the use of force). Harhoff's discussion on international criminal punishment links the local with the global and is a pure joy to read for anyone with half an interest in the discourse around war, crime and punishment, while Ulfstein, in imagining a world court of human rights, dares to dream without naïveté.

While the quality of the writing is excellent throughout the collection, I must single out Wrange's essay for special mention (for no other reason than personal preference and, admittedly, whim). Effortlessly bringing together personal reflection and legal theory, he offers a convincing case for the future of the neutral vs. the impartial state in a shifting international landscape. It makes for exquisite and delightful reading.

My only criticism of this collection is its cost. At $185 the book would be prohibitively expensive for many students of international law, a shame as they would stand to gain much from reading it. Here's hoping for a paperback edition to increase the book's accessibility to cash-strapped enthusiasts.