1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910807232203321

Autore

Scarry Elaine

Titolo

Rule of law, misrule of men / / Elaine Scarry

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge, Mass., : MIT Press, ©2010

ISBN

0-262-26577-X

1-282-63830-0

9786612638305

0-262-26611-3

Descrizione fisica

xxii, 191 p

Collana

Boston review book

Disciplina

973.931

Soggetti

Civil rights - United States

Rule of law - United States

War on Terrorism, 2001-2009 - Political aspects - United States

War crime trials - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

"A Boston Review Book."

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references.

Nota di contenuto

Resolving to resist (September 2004) -- Rules of engagement (November 2006) -- Presidential crimes (September 2008).

Sommario/riassunto

This book is a passionate call for citizen action to uphold the rule of law when government does not. Arguing that post-9/11 legislation and foreign policy severed the executive branch from the will of the people, Elaine Scarry in Rule of Law, Misrule of Men offers a fierce defense of the people's role as guarantor of our democracy. She begins with the groundswell of local resistance to the 2001 Patriot Act, when hundreds of towns, cities and counties passed resolutions refusing compliance with the information-gathering the act demanded, showing that citizens can take action against laws that undermine the rights of citizens and noncitizens alike. Scarry, once described in the New York Times Sunday Magazine as "known for her unflinching investigations of war, torture, and pain," then turns to the conduct of the Iraqi occupation, arguing that the Bush administration led the country onto treacherous moral terrain, violating the Geneva Conventions and the armed forces' own most fundamental standards. She warns of the damage done to democracy when military personnel must choose



between their own codes of warfare and the illegal orders of their civilian superiors. If our military leaders uphold the rule of law when civilian leaders do not, might we come to prefer them? Finally, reviewing what we know now about the Bush administration's crimes, Scarry insists that prosecution -- whether local, national or international -- is essential to restoring the rule of law, and she shows how a brave town in Vermont has taken up the challenge.<br /><br />Throughout the book, Scarry finds hope in moments where citizens withheld their consent to grievous crimes, finding creative ways to stand by their patriotism.