Shaping Foreign Policy in Times of Crisis: The Role of International Law and the State Department Legal Adviser

by Michael P. Scharf, Paul R. Williams

Shaping Foreign Policy in Times of Crisis grew out of a series of meetings that the authors convened with all ten of the living former U.S. State Department legal advisers (from the Carter administration to that of George W. Bush). Based on their insider accounts of the role that international law actually played during the major crises on their watch, the book explores whether international law is real law or just a form of politics that policymakers are free to ignore whenever they perceive it to be in their interest to do so. Written in a style that will appeal to the casual reader and serious scholar alike, the book includes a foreword by the Obama administration’s State Department legal adviser, Harold Koh; background on the theoretical underpinnings of the compliance debate; an in-depth case study of the treatment of detainees in the war on terror; and a comprehensive glossary of the terms, names, places, and events that are discussed in the book. Click to watch a video of the authors talking about their book on C-SPAN Book TV on Saturday, February 6, 2010.

332 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Zachary Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

This book provides insight into the Office of the Legal Adviser - a must-read for any law student or lawyer interested in a public international law career.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps Shaping Foreign Policy in Times of Crisis: The Role of International Law and the State Department Legal Adviserisn't a light summer read, but I must admit, it was truly fascinating and very well written.I find international law/relations fascinating so that's probably one of the reasons I enjoyed the book.

First of all, I think the book was organized perfectly. Sometimes books political, non-fiction is organized terribly and that turns a fascinating subject into a heavy read. However, I loved the mix of this book. There were interviews, discussion, and many different voices which made the book more interesting.

Furthermore, the book covers recent topics such as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan (among other historical events). The different view points were interesting, as were the reasons behind some very controversial moments in American political history.

Lastly, I thought the glossary and end-notes were incredibly helpful. All in all, I would recommend this to anyone interested in foreign policy, the US' role in international affairs, and/or international law.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I read this I was sceptical. I am now actually convinced that international law is a genuine legal system.

It also has some great anecdotes from people who were at the heart of some very big decisions -- eg the Iran-Contra affair, both Iraq wars, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, etc.