Hardcover
400 Pages, 6.33 x 9.21 x 1.14 in
February 5, 2008
Knopf Canada
0676977448
9780676977448
From the Publisher
A powerful investigation of the story and individuals behind
America's refusal to acknowledge international law and an inquiry
into the urgent role of international criminal justice from the
award-winning, bestselling author of Long
Shadows.
In this groundbreaking investigation, Erna Paris explores the
history of global justice, the politics behind America's opposition
to the creation of a permanent international criminal court, and
the implications for the world at large.
At the end of the twentieth century, two extraordinary events took
place. The first was the end of the Cold War, which left the world
with a single empire that dominated global affairs with a ready
fist. The second event was the birth of the International Criminal
Court-the first permanent tribunal of its kind. The ICC prosecutes
crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide. Its mandate is to
confront impunity and demand accountability for the worst crimes
known.
But on March 11, 2003, when the new court was inaugurated in a
moving ceremony, one country was conspicuously missing from the
celebrations. The government of the United States had made it clear
that the International Criminal Court was not consistent with
American goals and values.
The Sun Climbs Slow grapples with an emerging
dilemma of the twenty-first century: the tension between
unchallenged political power and the rule of international
law.
The legacy of the twentieth century is one of unsurpassed
brutality. Within the span of one century, we have witnessed the
genocide of Armenian civilians by the Turks in 1915; the murderous
Japanese assault on Nanjing, China, in 1937; the Nazi Holocaust
against the Jews in mid-century; the special horror of Josef
Stalin's crimes against his own people; apartheid in South Africa;
the annihilation of millions of Cambodians by their fellow
countryman, Pol Pot; the grotesque cruelties of Idi Amin in Uganda;
vicious genocides in Yugoslavia and Rwanda; and the ongoing shame
of Darfur, the Congo, and the other warring regions of the African
continent. What, then, is the simple, powerful idea behind this
great gathering? The International Criminal Court's mandate is to
prosecute the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and
war crimes, the most serious offenses ever codified, making it a
newborn with enough muscle to influence the way nations, and
especially their leaders, consider their choices. It has been
mandated to mount an assault on the age-old scourge of criminal
impunity, on behalf of the peoples of the world.
-from The Sun Climbs Slow
From the Jacket
Praise for The Sun Climbs Slow:
"In The Sun Climbs Slow Erna
Paris describes, movingly and convincingly, the dawn of a new age
of international law. There could be no better guide to the
emerging world in which no guilty person, however powerful, can
escape responsibility for acts of barbarism. Obligatory reading for
the forward looking."
-John Polanyi, Nobel Laureate
"Erna Paris takes us on a compelling journey into the dramatic
events behind the creation of the International Criminal Court. The
court symbolizes the growing global determination to end impunity
for the perpetrators of atrocities. Yet this vision of universal
justice has been anathema to those in Washington who disdain any
international oversight of their exceptional power. As Paris
vividly demonstrates, this contempt also underscores the Bush
administration's decision to combat terrorism by flouting the most
basic legal constraints."
-Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch
"The Sun Climbs Slow is essential reading
for anyone interested in the evolution of the International
Criminal Court and the future of international criminal justice.
Erna Paris' personal interviews with key figures in this emerging
world are fascinating and important."
-Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the UN Criminal
Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and retired Justice
of the South Africa Constitutional Court
"Quite simply the best accessible introduction to the big themes in
international criminal justice. Erna Paris has combined unique
interview material, relevant historical background and fine
political analysis to produce a highly readable and informative
portrait of our modern-day Nurembergs."
-William A. Schabas, Director, Irish Centre for Human Rights,
National University of Ireland, Galway
"[A] beautifully written and utterly compelling book . . .
[Paris] relates the story in its full context, taking the reader on
a fast-paced tour from ancient Greece to the Nuremburg trials to
the end of the Cold War and beyond. Paris's ability to convey the
human dimension of international criminal justice is what makes
this book special." -The Globe and Mail
"Paris writes beautifully . . . This is a book worth reading."
-Winnipeg Free Press
"[Paris] masters an enormous amount of historical detail with
intelligent arguments and captivating prose. . . . her new book
offers a sound introduction to a complex topic. . . . [A] solid
effort. And in her careful delineation of the tortuous path to the
inauguration of the ICC, Paris offers an optimistic and timely
vision of the court's potential." -The Gazette (Montreal)
About the Author
Erna Paris is the winner of ten national and international writing
awards, including the White Award (Canada-U.S.) for journalism, a
gold medal from the National Magazine Awards Foundation, and four
Media Club of Canada awards for feature writing and radio
documentary. She is the author of six previous acclaimed books of
literary non-fiction, most recently Long Shadows,
which won the Pearson Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize, the
Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing and the Canadian
Jewish Book Award for History. She lives in Toronto.