May 24th 2017, 10:34

“GRAPPLING WITH THEMATIC INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN MASS ATROCITY AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE”:
A GREAT NEW PIECE OF RESEARCH FROM ELGAR FOR 2017

An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers

A bold statement welcomes the reader to this book when the authors, Gideon Boas and Pascale Chifflet, write that it is “really an endeavour to grapple with some of the thematic intersections between mass atrocity and international responses to them”.

This is a special book for jurisprudents which identifies and develops crucial themes in international criminal justice at a most important cross roads for foreign legal policy as we become more global.

The title kicks off with some answers to the main “searching question” for all public international lawyers: what is international criminal justice? The book delves into the role and impact of politics, history, psychology, terrorism, transitioning society in scholastic detail. “And even the idea of hope, and the relationship of these themes” is considered with the authors’ express wish of “how we can understand international criminal justice”. We found this undertaking useful although many questions remain unanswered, or are frankly unsolvable at present.


Whilst highlighting and addressing some of the main crucial legal questions, “International Criminal Justice” goes much further for the jurist, drawing on a range of multi-disciplinary thinking as a philosophical treatise of some merit in this expanding area of legal theory.


So what is international criminal justice? The two authors of this thoughtful modern statement lay out their framework for an understanding of international criminal justice in all its facets. We found their consideration of both definition and content very helpful. Boas and Chifflet argue for the treatment of international criminal justice “as a holistic field of study, rather than a by-product of international criminal law” and that is clearly the correct modern approach.


Throughout they have adopted a multidisciplinary approach illustrating a range of legal and extra-legal disciplines to give it a more rounded approach. The writers challenge many of the prevalent paradigms of thinking in this area as Boas and Chifflet explore the thankless task of whether it’s possible to reconcile some of “the enduring intellectual conflict, such as whether and how retributive and restorative approaches to justice can co-exist”. And they do it very well.

These two leading academics who are also practitioners in the field as well as established writers and researchers make our lives much easier and we remain very grateful to Elgar for publishing this title in their “Principles of International Law” series.

“International Criminal Justice” remains a unique work which “performs a significant role in defining and explaining international criminal justice” to a wide range of readers, and as such will be important reading for scholars and practitioners, as well as undergraduates.

The law has been stated as at 2017 and is available as a book, pdf and an ebook.

'A great introduction to the subject, rich with scholarly analysis including an essential historical perspective on the origins of international criminal justice, but at the same time sparkling with the unique insights of practitioners.' --William A. Schabas, Middlesex University London, UK'This exceptional book explores the emerging discipline of international criminal justice from new and important perspectives. Its thematic approach lends a deeper understanding not just of the legal frameworks and challenges, but also of the many disciplines that inform and make up this growing field. Written by two distinguished practitioners and scholars of international criminal justice, this book offers readers vital insight into the successes, failures and challenges that confront the response by states and the international community to mass atrocity today.' --Michael P. Scharf, Case Western Reserve University, School of Law, US