A joint project of the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations and Zócalo Public Square

Rules of the Game: Detention, Deportation, and Disappearance
by Asim Quereshi

As leading advocates of human rights, the United States and Britain have found themselves in an uncomfortable spotlight thanks to numerous violations of human rights and legal standards perpetrated during the war on terror. Asim Quereshi’s book uses the voices of victims of torture and unlawful detention to demonstrate the ways the post 9/11 counterterrorism policy violates human rights. By prioritizing the war on terror, nations have rationalized the violent treatment of prisoners at places like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. Meanwhile, governments have used the vague terms of the Patriot Act to support their actions or relied on clauses in UNSC Resolution 1566 that permit any anti-terror protocols that uphold international law. Suspects seldom receive fair trials and can be kidnapped or outsourced to CIA black sites without notice. Many innocent people are detained and questioned at airports or tourist sites after being identified as Muslim. Qureshi’s chronicling of these abuse victims’ powerful first-hand experiences demonstrate a different face of the anti-terror game: one in which ideals of fairness and justice always take a back seat to fighting terrorism.  -Trisha Parikh

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The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and What We Can Do to Avoid It
by Julian Cribb

We buy, sell and use oil, but, according to Cribb, we also eat it. Nearly everything on an ordinary dinner table has been produced with the use of tractors, harvesters, or other farm equipment. Unfortunately, we waste a great deal: so much, in fact, that Cribb predicts rampant food shortages by the middle of this century. The author suggests a few methods to avoid the grim scenario of a global food crisis: increasing our reliance on vegetables (which yield more food per acre farmed than grains or meat), raising livestock in areas where they can graze (to avoid a grain shortage brought about by the current diet of factory-farmed animals) and simply wasting less of the food we consume at each meal. Ultimately, Cribb argues, “the absolute test of our self-lauding title sapiens” will be whether we are wise enough to confront the crescendo of shortages – not by competing against each other for dwindling resources, but by cooperating to make sure they never run out. -Lina Kaisey

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Strengthening Peace in Post-Civil War States: Transforming Spoilers into Stakeholders
Edited by Matthew Hoddie and Caroline Hartzell

Is long-lasting peace possible in a post-civil war state? The costs of civil war extend beyond the borders of a warring state, so third party actors are invested in the answer as well. In Strengthening Peace in Post-Civil War States: Transforming Spoilers into Stakeholders, the various authors present individual case studies that suggest different strategies for maintaining post-war peace. Their focus is not on the traditional “peacekeeping missions” of the UN or on forced military intervention. Rather, they argue for a combination of soft intervention – characterized by minimal use of force and no military occupation – and restructuring institutions. The goal is to use coercion not only to create peace, but to establish a culture in which individuals see how peace will benefit their individual interests to end violence permanently. Third parties can catalyze this healing process and help countries restructure themselves by establishing new, post-war institutions and elections. While the authors address potential weaknesses of their solutions, leading readers to question their practicality, the notion that long-lasting peace is attainable remains. -TP

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The Atlas of Human Rights: Mapping Violations of Freedom Around the Globe
by Andrew Fagan

In 127 pages of color-coded maps and concise descriptions, Fagan sums up the rates of an array of affronts to human rights, from the drafting of child soldiers to domestic violence. In doing so, he makes a complicated global issue accessible and emphasizes its importance. Fagan reminds us that “all nation-states everywhere violate human rights to some degree,” presenting data to illustrate the where, why and how. He also points out the interrelated nature of human rights abuses: For example, a high rate of internally displaced persons (those seeking asylum within their home country) generally goes hand-in-hand with political instability and systematic persecution. As with any other set of maps, Fagan’s atlas lays out all the information for those interested in confronting human rights abuses. He gives readers an understanding of the landscape, while leaving the ultimate goal and route up to the user. -LK

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Failed Sanctions: Why the U.S. Embargo against Cuba Could Never Work
by Paolo Spadoni

Since the Cold War, the United States has maintained an embargo against Cuba in an effort to halt economic progress and create “economic pain” there. In Failed Sanctions: Why the U.S. Embargo against Cuba Could Never Work, Spadoni argues that the “black knights” of today’s society have assisted Cuba’s recovery instead of stalling it. He explores the influence of transnational actors, such as multinational corporations, and demonstrates how their involvement has sustained the flow of capital into Cuba despite the U.S.’s harsh restrictions. Not only did the 1996 Helms-Burton Act fall short of its goal of preventing firms from operating in Cuba, the sanctions actually reinforced the Castro regime. Although he presents a grim picture the effectiveness of the embargo, Spadoni’s predictions for future U.S.-Cuba relations are optimistic: more business organizations in the U.S. are lobbying to loosen restrictions, and Obama has pursued open-door policies. Cuba is crucial to the global agricultural, oil, tourism and export industries, Spadoni argues, so it is imperative that the United States lift the embargo and advance relations with Cuba if it hopes to achieve its broader foreign policy goals. -TP

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*Photo courtesy of Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.