Of War and Law Book

This book was disappointing on many levels. First, it was not well-written. Professor Kennedy is a well-respected, highly capable legal scholar. However, the text was a slog to get through. His thesis was less than clear. I was uncertain where he was going until the last 15 pages or so. On top of this, I found his arguments to be surprisingly under-informed. He was quite correct in his observations regarding how law has moved into prominence in conflict and, in particular, military decision making; but after composing his algorithm, he reached all of the wrong conclusions. It would have done Professor Kennedy well to speak with some military professionals and judge advocates before he cast them as shallow characters in his representation of the world.

I have to admit that I thought this book was more recent when I started. Knowing that it was written during the Iraq War makes a little more sense to me in digesting some of his positions. That said, I can only relate that I was terribly disappointed in this book.