Imagining Justice for Syria

Ultimately, the book provides a balanced assessment of international justice efforts in relation to Syria that is both deeply researched and clear-eyed while allowing a glimmer of hope for the future of accountability. * International Criminal Law Review *
In this detailed and sophisticated book, Van Schaack attempts -- and succeeds -- in her efforts to place the Syrian conflict within the actual and imagined system of international criminal justice. * Espen Stokke, Ethnic and Racial Studies *
Impressively, Prof. Van Schaack backs up virtually every fact, assertion, and opinion with rich source material. Even more impressive, however, is her uncanny ability to unintrusively lay out, objectively, all sides and countervailing positions before offering balanced, insightful, and pragmatic conclusions that temptingly engage. A tour d'horizon, Imagining Justice for Syria is a tour de force unreservedly recommended. * Michael G. Karnavas, michaelgkarnavas.net International Criminal Law Blog *
This authoritative study, by a leading scholar and practitioner of war crimes law, explodes the conventional wisdom that Syrian human rights survivors can find no justice. Van Schaack devastatingly deconstructs the institutional failures that caused the Syrian justice meltdown. But in the end, she concludes optimistically—after exhaustively exploring the menu of available justice models—that in time, decentralized but coordinated justice will find a way, through myriad outlets and cracks in the walls of global injustice. * Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law and former Dean, Yale Law School. Former Legal Adviser and Assistant Secretary of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State *
It is rare for a book to be as eloquent as it is empirically rich, to pack in as much judicious research as it does normative punch. But Beth Van Schaack's Imagining Justice for Syria does all of that - and more. This is a must-read for anyone interested in pursuing justice for atrocities in Syria and beyond. * Mark Kersten, Wayamo Foundation, and Munk School Of Global Affairs And Public Policy *
Beth Van Schaack writes for the victims of the worst crimes of the 21st century who have refused to be overcome by weakness. She shows how Syrian survivors, with the help of supportive governments and NGOs, built the strongest body of evidence of a regime's criminal responsibility since Nuremberg, and opened pathways to justice around the vetoes and inaction of Great Powers. It is the story of what was once only imagined--a first-of-its-kind UN investigative mechanism, a surge in third country prosecutions, an increased willingness of states to join forces—leading on to a reality where perpetrators will never be free of the fear of arrest and trial. * Stephen J. Rapp, Former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice (2009-2015) *