Output details

American Immunity : War Crimes and the Limits of International Law

The work’s complex argument links the “jurisdictional gap” preventing the prosecution of veterans and military-associated civilians since the 1950s with the escalating problem of prosecuting private security contractors in recent conflicts. The research was based on materials from seven archives, including a usually inaccessible memorandum from the Judge Advocate’s Legal Center and School in Virginia, and documents from the Office of the Secretary of Defense declassified at the author’s request. The data collection was difficult because unsuccessful legislative efforts do not leave the same paper trail as enacted legislation does. The production of the legislative time line required considerable ingenuity.