Crimes
of
Power & States of Impunity
Price: $23.95
Subtitle: The U.S. Response to Terror
Author: Michael Welch
Subject: Sociology
, Criminology
Paper ISBN:
978-0-8135-4435-9
Cloth ISBN: 978-0-8135-4434-2
Pages: 256 pages
Publication Date: February 2009
Series: Critical Issues
in Crime and Society
View the Table
of
Contents
Praise for Crimes of Power &
States of Impunity
"Michael Welch was one of the first scholars
to grasp the enormity of the implications for law and international
relations of the American response to the attacks of September
11th. This volume offers a critical and disturbing insight into
the ways in which our world has changed irrevocably since those
attacks."—Conor Gearty, London School of Economics
"Building upon the work of Foucault and his
philosophical heirs, Welch
presents a reasoned, sober and provocative analysis of the US
government’s abuses of power during the war on terror. Relying on
careful depictions of the way in which security trumped criminal
justice and government by terror replaced government by law, Welch
adapts traditional theories of power, punishment and sovereignty to
address Guantanamo, torture, and the war in Iraq, creating a searing
portrait of the costs of these recent crimes of power and their claim
to impunity."
—Karen Greenberg, Executive Director, Center on Law and Security, New
York University School of Law
"A valuable, at times gripping, account and
analysis of the crimes committed by various US government agencies and
officers in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy."
—David Kauzlarich, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
"Michael Welch’s opening pages in Crimes
of Power & States of Impunity: U.S. Response to Terror
deliver powerful knockout blows in the no-holds barred fashion. His
bullet points effectively combine to create a post-9/11 world that is
equally ambitious and radical as it alters long-standing principles of
American justice, international affairs, and serves as an example of
elite criminality. The strength of the book is its sociological
interpretation of the post-9/11 events thus providing a broader view as
opposed to a strictly legal or justice analysis which fails to capture
the scope of these policies."—Critical
Criminology
Description:
Since 9/11, a new configuration of
power situated at the core
of the executive branch of the U.S. government has taken hold. In Crimes
of
Power & States of Impunity, Michael Welch takes a close look
at the key historical, political, and economic forces shaping the
country's response to terror.
Welch continues the work he began in Scapegoats of September 11th and
argues
that current U.S. policies, many enacted after the attacks,
undermine basic human rights and violate domestic and international
law. He recounts these offenses and analyzes the system that sanctions
them, offering fresh insight into the complex relationship between
power and state crime. Welch critically examines the unlawful enemy
combatant designation, Guantanamo Bay, recent torture cases, and
collateral damage relating to the war in Iraq. This book transcends
important legal arguments as Welch strives for a broader sociological
interpretation of what transpired early this century, analyzing the
abuses of power that jeopardize our safety and security.
About
the Author:
Michael Welch is a
professor of criminal justice at
Rutgers University. He is the author of many books, including Scapegoats
of
September 11th (Rutgers University Press).
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Price: $23.95
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