Publisher's Synopsis
One hundred years after the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and twenty five years after the peaceful end of the Cold War in 1989, little appears to have been learned from the scale of disasters that befell the world between the assassination in Sarajevo (1914) and the annexation of Sebastopol (2014). The failure to learn from history largely comes from various ideologies of progress. The entry into force of the Statute of the International Criminal Court in 2002, might be a first step towards international criminal justice for all (and not just for the losers). Nicknamed the 'international community,' the major sovereign powers offer a dismal record on dealing with such issues as human rights, the use of force, the abolition of nuclear weapons, and peace in the Middle East. Human rights policies are still to be oriented toward the common good, as understood in the Universal Declaration, rather than toward blaming other countries. Justice and order need a transition from international law to global law, in order to be realized. This is the fifth and final volume in the series Footprints of the Twentieth Century, a critical assessment of the state of the law of nations. In the 21st century, the world needs truly global law anchored in the dignity of the human person, rather than weak international law built on the interests of major sovereign states. Throughout the book, one finds refreshing examples of persons who, by their courage and dedication, could and did make the difference. Among them are Henri Dunant, Ruth Kluger, Andrei Sacharov, Nelson Mandela, and Pope John Paul II. (Series: Footprints of the Twentieth Century - Vol. 5) [Subject: Legal History, International Law, Criminal Law, Human Rights Law]
