A great strength of this book is Schabas approach to providing a broad overview of the major international criminal law issues... Schabas ability to go beyond legal doctrine to discuss the foundational theories and political issues of international criminal law speaks to his broad expertise and versatility. The issues and arguments are consistently presented in an accessible, engaging style... He does not burden the reader with dense, legalistic prose. He makes the discussion relevant by drawing on a great deal of historical context and precedent, particularly from the Nuremburg trials. He does not, however, shy away from making reasoned legal arguments and grounding them in sources of international law. He frequently explains and refers to treaties, custom, case law, and works of pre-eminent international law scholars. * Nathan Kruger, Canadian Yearbook of International Law * Unimaginable Atrocities, Schabas has produced perhaps his greatest work in a prodigious collection of extraordinary contributions to the field... Schabas has long contributed to the development of effective world law. He has taken on the task and made it his own, standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Cherif Bassiouni, Antonio Cassese, Hans Corell, Michael Scharf and David Scheffer. His text is plainly intended to appeal to and inform, not only academics, but also those with less direct expertise in the field. This is not to suggest that it is somehow written at an introductory level, or that it can be passed over by those more familiar with the issues addressed in the book. Rather, it seeks to expand the audience, educating those interested in creating a safer and more tolerant world on key components within the field of international criminal law, while providing substantive arguments for discussion among academic circles. * Matthew Kane, International Affairs * Insightfully explain[ s] the conceptual foundations and prospective paths for an international criminal judiciary. Schabas' book reveals once more that international criminal law is shaped by a complex relationship of policy and law, which unfortunately can only partly prevent war crimes while influencing how humanity confronts unimaginable atrocities. * Martin Wählisch, ASIL Cables *
