Iraq and the crimes of aggressive war
Subtitle: the legal cynicism of criminal militarism
By: John Hagan, Northwestern University, American Bar Foundation, Joshua Kaiser, Northwestern University, American Bar Foundation, Anna Hanson, Northwestern University
Contributors: Kaiser, Joshua, 1985-; Hanson, Anna, 1985-
Series: Cambridge studies in law and society; Cambridge studies in law and society
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9781107104532; 9781107507012
Subjects: War crimes; Moral and ethical aspects; Iraq War, 2003-2011; Atrocities
Description: "From the torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib to unnecessary military attacks on civilians, this book is an account of the violations of international criminal law committed during the United States invasion of Iraq. Taking stock of the entire war, it uniquely documents the overestimation of the successes and underestimation of the failings of the Surge and Awakening policies. The authors show how an initial cynical framing of the American war led to the creation of a new Shia-dominated Iraq state, which in turn provoked powerful feelings of legal cynicism among Iraqis, especially the Sunni. The predictable result was a resilient Sunni insurgency that re-emerged in the violent aftermath of the 2011 withdrawal. Examining more than a decade of evidence, this book makes a powerful case that the American war in Iraq constituted a criminal war of aggression"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-245) and index.
Table of contents: title: The reign of terror; title: A shadow of hope; title: Judging torture in Iraq; title: Night falls on Baghdad; title: The separate peace of the Shia; title: Legal cynicism and Sunni militancy.