What do you think?
Rate this book
Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle For Global Justice
The story of the rise of the human rights movement by the renowned international attorney, in a newly revised and expanded edition.
For centuries it seemed an impossible dream that international institutions could ever tell nation-states how to treat their own citizens. But after a century in which 160 million lives have been wasted by war, genocide, and torture, the worldwide human rights movement is gaining popular and political strength.
In a book that has been called "an epic work" by "The Times" (London), Geoffrey Robertson, one of the world's leading human rights lawyers, weaves together disparate strands of history, philosophy, international law, and politics to show how an identification of the crime against humanity, first defined at Nuremberg, has become the key that unlocks the closed door of state sovereignty, enabling the international community to bring tyrants and torturers to heel.
This newly revised and expanded edition features additional chapters on Iraq and Guantanamo, and incorporates insights from the author's experience since 2002 as a UN appeals judge for the Special Court on war crimes in Sierra Leone. Robertson also brings us up to date on the trials against Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein and the International Criminal Court at Darfur.
For centuries it seemed an impossible dream that international institutions could ever tell nation-states how to treat their own citizens. But after a century in which 160 million lives have been wasted by war, genocide, and torture, the worldwide human rights movement is gaining popular and political strength.
In a book that has been called "an epic work" by "The Times" (London), Geoffrey Robertson, one of the world's leading human rights lawyers, weaves together disparate strands of history, philosophy, international law, and politics to show how an identification of the crime against humanity, first defined at Nuremberg, has become the key that unlocks the closed door of state sovereignty, enabling the international community to bring tyrants and torturers to heel.
This newly revised and expanded edition features additional chapters on Iraq and Guantanamo, and incorporates insights from the author's experience since 2002 as a UN appeals judge for the Special Court on war crimes in Sierra Leone. Robertson also brings us up to date on the trials against Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein and the International Criminal Court at Darfur.
1008 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
176 people are currently reading
1934 people want to read
About the author
Geoffrey Robertson
57 books85 followersGeoffrey Ronald Robertson QC (born 30 September 1946) is a human rights barrister, academic, author and broadcaster. He holds dual Australian and British citizenship.
Robertson is a founder and joint head of Doughty Street Chambers. He serves as a Master of the Bench at the Middle Temple, a recorder, and visiting professor at Queen Mary, University of London.
Robertson is a founder and joint head of Doughty Street Chambers. He serves as a Master of the Bench at the Middle Temple, a recorder, and visiting professor at Queen Mary, University of London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 3, 2021
Based on my thoughts on having read this book the attempt to protect individuals against genocide, as one example, via international law is very much a modern idea that has taken specific form since the holocaust. I will also make comment that these conventions are not as well-supported in terms of international cooperation as they might be, such are the major powers reluctance at times to agree on what principles a court structure should take. Also in the democratic west, changes of government seemingly bring changes of attitude to policy.
My copy was from 2008 and things may well have moved on since Geoffrey Robinson wrote this very good book. Unfortunately, this can be a subject that fatigues one too easily. Man’s inhumanity to his fellow man never ceases to amaze.
A long and very dry read but worthwhile and recommended to anyone that has an interest in the subject of crimes against humanity.
My copy was from 2008 and things may well have moved on since Geoffrey Robinson wrote this very good book. Unfortunately, this can be a subject that fatigues one too easily. Man’s inhumanity to his fellow man never ceases to amaze.
A long and very dry read but worthwhile and recommended to anyone that has an interest in the subject of crimes against humanity.
July 27, 2021
By far the longest book i have ever read at 854 pages - but finished it in one month and one day. the most comprehensive accounting of:
-the human rights story and its development
-the rights of mankind and how they relate to real world examples
-the mechanisms of global organisations and instruments like the UN, UNHRC, ICTY and ICTR
-all relevant case law and legal intricacies fully explained with pertinent real life examples
just packed full of information vital for anyone looking for a perspective on any of the above mentioned topics!
may be a slog for some, the legal side is thoroughly explained with alot of terminology, but fascinating anyway
despite the grave subject matter, after finishing i feel somewhat cautiously optimistic about the development of international justice
-the human rights story and its development
-the rights of mankind and how they relate to real world examples
-the mechanisms of global organisations and instruments like the UN, UNHRC, ICTY and ICTR
-all relevant case law and legal intricacies fully explained with pertinent real life examples
just packed full of information vital for anyone looking for a perspective on any of the above mentioned topics!
may be a slog for some, the legal side is thoroughly explained with alot of terminology, but fascinating anyway
despite the grave subject matter, after finishing i feel somewhat cautiously optimistic about the development of international justice
July 17, 2022
Some thoughts:
- A great overview of the history and development of international human rights law and global responses to various atrocity crimes. A very long read, but plenty of fascinating commentary about specific historical events and their implications.
- This edition was published in 2012, and when I looked up some of the cases, it's a bit sad to see how little progress has been made in the past ten years (e.g. China still enjoying impunity for various human rights violations, current situation with Russia, the fact that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal has as of 2021 passed only four verdicts of dubious quality). Oh, and also how nuclear stockpiling is still a threat.
- There are events which I don't know enough about to have a strong opinion on, namely cases in Africa and the Middle East. It's pretty clear that Robertson has a very firm stance on certain issues, however if he can be said to take sides, he's consistently on the side of justice and the law, which I very much respect (despite not always appreciating the 'sassy barrister' style remarks he's apt to make). I don't think there's a single country, religion, culture, political group etc. exempt from being roasted by him when they are the perpetrators (or enablers) of serious crimes.
Key points to take away:
- Tyrannicide is not the way to go. Although it's quite natural that victims of violent regimes often desire revenge and retribution, the global human rights cause is further injured if the accused are summarily executed and allowed to posthumously gain mythical status, instead of being brought before a reputable court of law and made to justify their actions (and publicly condemning themselves in the process).
- Conversely, show trials (e.g. Stalin's) are incredibly dangerous and very damaging to the credibility of international human rights instruments. The right to a fair trial is particularly important when individuals are faced with such serious charges.
- Anticipatory self-defence is poor justification for military action against states (even if it's a 'failed state'). Also, forces which do invade other countries to capture (or kill) hostile persons generally have a very poor track record of ensuring stability and recovery once their objective has been accomplished. Looking mostly at America here.
- The principle of Responsibility to Protect has often been exercised poorly due to factors such as political concerns and double standards. The interpretation of R2P can be subjective and modified to suit political ambitions.
- International bodies such as the UN and ICC were established with noble intent, but their success is severely hampered by a variety of reasons including lack of cooperation, prohibitive cost, lack of resources, lack of will, offending states not recognising jurisdiction, etc.
- Lawful non-intervention can also have devastating results (e.g. Rwanda). It's difficult to determine whether the loss of lives (peacekeeper forces and civilians) during an intervention will guarantee the safety of vulnerable people groups after the conflict is over. However the alternative doesn't have to be "do nothing and watch the human rights violations from afar".
- A great overview of the history and development of international human rights law and global responses to various atrocity crimes. A very long read, but plenty of fascinating commentary about specific historical events and their implications.
- This edition was published in 2012, and when I looked up some of the cases, it's a bit sad to see how little progress has been made in the past ten years (e.g. China still enjoying impunity for various human rights violations, current situation with Russia, the fact that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal has as of 2021 passed only four verdicts of dubious quality). Oh, and also how nuclear stockpiling is still a threat.
- There are events which I don't know enough about to have a strong opinion on, namely cases in Africa and the Middle East. It's pretty clear that Robertson has a very firm stance on certain issues, however if he can be said to take sides, he's consistently on the side of justice and the law, which I very much respect (despite not always appreciating the 'sassy barrister' style remarks he's apt to make). I don't think there's a single country, religion, culture, political group etc. exempt from being roasted by him when they are the perpetrators (or enablers) of serious crimes.
Key points to take away:
- Tyrannicide is not the way to go. Although it's quite natural that victims of violent regimes often desire revenge and retribution, the global human rights cause is further injured if the accused are summarily executed and allowed to posthumously gain mythical status, instead of being brought before a reputable court of law and made to justify their actions (and publicly condemning themselves in the process).
- Conversely, show trials (e.g. Stalin's) are incredibly dangerous and very damaging to the credibility of international human rights instruments. The right to a fair trial is particularly important when individuals are faced with such serious charges.
- Anticipatory self-defence is poor justification for military action against states (even if it's a 'failed state'). Also, forces which do invade other countries to capture (or kill) hostile persons generally have a very poor track record of ensuring stability and recovery once their objective has been accomplished. Looking mostly at America here.
- The principle of Responsibility to Protect has often been exercised poorly due to factors such as political concerns and double standards. The interpretation of R2P can be subjective and modified to suit political ambitions.
- International bodies such as the UN and ICC were established with noble intent, but their success is severely hampered by a variety of reasons including lack of cooperation, prohibitive cost, lack of resources, lack of will, offending states not recognising jurisdiction, etc.
- Lawful non-intervention can also have devastating results (e.g. Rwanda). It's difficult to determine whether the loss of lives (peacekeeper forces and civilians) during an intervention will guarantee the safety of vulnerable people groups after the conflict is over. However the alternative doesn't have to be "do nothing and watch the human rights violations from afar".
April 7, 2013
This book is a great way to be introduced to human rights and international law and undoubtedly also would be an engrossing read for people already familiar with the subject. In explaining the issues related to human rights law, Robertson covers a lot of ground regarding recent conflicts and geopolitical issues in general and almost everybody will be a better informed citizen after finishing this book. The book is an interesting format as it is an evolving piece and its obvious that newer events have required parts of the book to be rewritten compared to older editions but this is done seamlessly and in fact adds extra relevance to the reading.
There is a pattern throughout the book of moving from somewhat dry technical legal detail to highly engrossing descriptions of dictators, dirty money and war stories - but indeed the dry parts are needed to explain the more colorful parts and vice versa; points of law are given full and interesting examples.
This is not a history book, but reads more like a intellectual discussion of how international law can be applied. It has a very pragmatic tone, and there is a realism that leads you to respect the facts the book contains. The book ends in an optimistic tone and the reader left with a sense of having had your eyes opened and your previous perceptions of world governments challenged.
There is a pattern throughout the book of moving from somewhat dry technical legal detail to highly engrossing descriptions of dictators, dirty money and war stories - but indeed the dry parts are needed to explain the more colorful parts and vice versa; points of law are given full and interesting examples.
This is not a history book, but reads more like a intellectual discussion of how international law can be applied. It has a very pragmatic tone, and there is a realism that leads you to respect the facts the book contains. The book ends in an optimistic tone and the reader left with a sense of having had your eyes opened and your previous perceptions of world governments challenged.
January 19, 2025
This book covers a very important topic, and does it so in a very clear way. It is a rather long, but also information-dense work covering the history of crimes against humanity, ending with a beautiful argument of hope and progress. Very well written, pulling no punches, but also showing the absurdity that sometimes characterises the international order.
January 2, 2018
After countless restarts since first giving this a go in 2009 I've finally made it to the end. It was very hard to get past Robertson's smugness/pomposity (though hard to tell whether I was picking that up from the text or my existing impressions), unnecessary asides, and the repetitveness both within and between chapters. In the end it was just a dogged determination to get it off my reading list that kept me going. Wouldn't recommend.
September 4, 2012
Not an easy read (it is very long and full of horrors), but anyone who claims to know something about human rights ought to have read this book. It really does a brilliant job at summarising the history of the human rights movement from the legal perspective. Might be good to read alongside The Better Angels of Our Nature, which covers similar subject matter from the psychological perspective.
March 11, 2016
Read this book when I was on a work trip in East Africa. Seeing the results of war and crimes against humanity in the region while reading it gave the information another dimension. Well written and very informative.
October 1, 2020
3.5 Stars
This is dense and works better as a textbook for a unit, where you can study each chapter in depth. Does not work so well as a book to read for your own knowledge/leisure.
This is dense and works better as a textbook for a unit, where you can study each chapter in depth. Does not work so well as a book to read for your own knowledge/leisure.
November 6, 2022
Good and thorough intro to international human rights law
November 12, 2022
A thorough introduction to human rights law, with in depth analysis of particular case studies. The writing was extremely repetitive, it's structure wasn't always easy to follow and it assumed a lot of prior knowledge in parts.
June 6, 2025
Very long read. But well worth reading.
February 1, 2010
Finishing this book was no mean accomplishment. It was one step away from being a text book except that sarcastic asides and snide comments from the author (often about diplomats) kept it from being wholly impersonal. Very comprehensive treatment of the history, current status and possible future of human rights and international law. However Robertson does have a point to push and often will give diplomats stinging treatment because they are among the first to attempt to bypass international law courts in the event of crimes against humanity. Ocassionally Robertson repeats himself, but when his chapters span about a hundred pages each, that can be forgiven. Some little bit of legal background might make it easier for the reader, but it isn't necessary per se, and anyone who has watched a dozen episodes of Boston Legal will be right. As an Australian, Robertson does perhaps identify Australian contributions to global justice (and a few stebacks too) than another author might have done, but at least they are interesting. Very comprehensive.
November 3, 2021
Probably one of the most informative books on human rights, but it is extremely dry but in a weird way that’s why I loved it. I did ponder to give this maybe a four but I learnt so much from this book more than anything I learnt in school, this book will always stick with me because of the book being so depressing. But it’s so an informative book and has a great perspective. For anyone who is interested in leftist politics or human rights in general this is a must read book. I could write an essay of what I learnt from this book, but it still wouldn’t be enough.
December 20, 2020
Crimes Against Humanity is a bit dense. While Roberston does provide worthwhile insight into the limitations of the United Nations' ability to enforce global justice, this book is the antithesis of a pleasure-read and, I feel, as someone who lacks a background in law, unprepared for much of what is present here. I will say that the chapter dedicated to Pinochet, however was especially insightful and thought-provoking.
February 28, 2009
I assign this when I teach Human Rights Law and Politics. A good, thorough but fairly atheoretical telling of the tale of how international law has advanced and confronted the worst kinds of human rights violations. Robertson writes in a tone of deep moral outrage but also with a great deal of snark and dry humor (which keeps undergraduates engaged, e ven as when it annoys them...)
June 18, 2025
What is convincing in this work is the author’s constant exhortation to higher standards of principle and practice in international law. His critique of existing and historic practice is often intuitively convincing, if almost completely unargued for. A question here, however, might be on what basis such assertions ought to be felt legitimate- they are clearly not shared by a global majority of any kind. This question hovers in the background of the whole presentation- it is simply never clear in what sense the various declarations referenced can claim any authority. These issues aside, Robertson clearly stands in the mainstream of a certain kind of western Human Rights discourse, and so it is this on behalf of which we must take him to speak. A more serious question, to my mind, is raised but not in any way answered by Robertson throughout the book, detailing as he does the interval between the theory and practice of human rights, and how this interval is chiefly an index of the willingness of the world’s most powerful states to enforce the rules. Robertson seems to believe that if only an international court were sufficiently legally empowered, this problem would go away. This seems an odd argument, given that he prefaces the book by the recognition that legality is not just a matter of the content of statutes but of the reality of policing and enforcement, and that this is a matter of political power not legal will. How even a legally supreme international entity would overcome the opposition of a sufficiently powerful state is a question left unanswered because unasked, and it in turn gives an implicit answer to the question I have been working towards, which is whether or not, however necessary it is, international law of the kind Robertson advocates is actually possible.
May 25, 2024
It was a great great great book nearly worth a 5 but it did have it's problems. I will say in this review I only noticed 1 but I am sure this problem does show elsewhere.
The readers of this book will notice if they have memory of the Gulf War that there were 2 of of them and it was only 1 of them which had the vigils and changed my life. It led to me being at AIDEX and founding RAC the radical action collective. Meeting a whole lot of people like Eric Bogle and others. But the author didn't differentiate between the two I wouldn't have done anything with the second.
I would recommend this book to people interested in a history of the UN. An advancement of human rights during the period leading up to 2015.
The readers of this book will notice if they have memory of the Gulf War that there were 2 of of them and it was only 1 of them which had the vigils and changed my life. It led to me being at AIDEX and founding RAC the radical action collective. Meeting a whole lot of people like Eric Bogle and others. But the author didn't differentiate between the two I wouldn't have done anything with the second.
I would recommend this book to people interested in a history of the UN. An advancement of human rights during the period leading up to 2015.
April 9, 2025
A huge well researched book covering the fight for Global Justice from ancient times to the present day.Reading the book I wavered between depression as Geoffrey Robinson reminded me of the aweful things human beings have done to each other and hope as some of those people have been held to account and more hope that an international justice system can be built to deter those who would do harm to the innocents around the world.
It took me a while to read the book but I was v glad I stuck with it.
It took me a while to read the book but I was v glad I stuck with it.
December 2, 2021
An impressive, expansive, intelligent, impeccably researched overview of the fragile development and frustratingly slow progress of human rights - but oh my god it is so, so dry and analytical. You yearn for the little bits in which this stops feeling like the pile of law school readings you have to get through this week and Robertson lets his personality peep through as he says how he wants to nuke the Japanese and punch the Pope and smooch Assange.
July 15, 2022
For what this book sets out to do, it does a stellar job. It is a hard slog both length and content wise, but an interesting analysis of events up until this edition’s publishing date (2012). For those wanting to understanding international law, human rights, and the intricacies of the operations of the UN, this is essential reading. Robertson contextualises major events in modern and recent history skilfully and helps his audience understand contemporary geopolitics.
March 26, 2025
An complex but interesting review of the development of international law against crimes against huminaty. from its inception at the Nuremberg trials to the war in Iraq to the point of publication (in 2006). In spite of currently being dated, the lessons learned in the past proof to be a valuable insight in light of current events...
June 22, 2019
Fantastic and in depth. It gives a full historical development of the international justice system alongside Robertson's invaluable experience as a QC who has worked within the current, and developing, framework
May 20, 2021
One of my favourite books of all time.
February 3, 2023
n.b. pick up at approx page 600
October 25, 2024
Very comprehensive.
November 13, 2024
Gary Bass would have opinions on this
August 27, 2025
Can you imagine he didn’t write anything about the war on Gaza 😂
November 8, 2025
Geoffrey Robertson = one of the best Australian has ever produced
December 6, 2025
Great panorama of International (criminal) law and human rights law.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews