Purging the Odious Scourge of Atrocities: The Limits of Consent in International Law. This item is unavailable.Purging the Odious Scourge of Atrocities: The Limits of Consent in International Law

In Purging the Odious Scourge of Atrocities, Bruce Cronin explains the growth of a small body of human rights law that bans the use of violence against a state's own population when it is deemed a mass atrocity, regardless of whether they have accepted it by signing treaties, or whether it is consistent with widespread state practice. Specifically, Cronin offers a theory of international law that explains how the international community developed universal bans on genocide; widespread, systematic attacks on civilian populations; torture; and the violation of civilian immunity in civil wars. By allowing us to rethink the mechanisms that give international law actual force, Purging the Odious Scourge of Atrocities promises to reshape our understanding of why states abide by human rights norms they never consented to by treaty.

Bruce Cronin is Professor of Political Science at the City College of New York. He specializes in international law, human rights, and international organizations, and is the author of numerous books and articles. His books include Bugsplat: The Politics of Collateral Damage in Western Armed Conflicts; Institutions for the Common Good; and Community under Anarchy.