Gender, UN Peacebuilding, and the Politics of Space: Locating Legitimacy, Laura J. Shepherd (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017), 264 pp., $74 cloth.

Abstract

equivalency if it pursues all sides equally. Likewise, May and Fyfe’s claim that the ICC inappropriately singled out Uhuru Kenyatta for prosecution overlooks counterarguments that such prosecution expressed important global condemnation of election-related violence. Finally, in arguing that certain particularly egregious crimes require international-level prosecution, the authors assert, but do not demonstrate, that such crimes “adversely affect humanity” in a way that distinguishes them from national-level crimes (p. ). May and Fyfe characterize their book as a strong rebuttal to critics whowish to abolish international criminal tribunals, yet many if not most of the scholarly works that they discuss share the authors’ commitment to improving the international criminal justice system. For instance, in discussing punishment, the authors cite Mark Drumbl’s concerns about the justifications for international punishment, but Drumbl’s work clearly conveys an ambition to improve, rather than undermine or dismantle, the international criminal justice system. Like Drumbl, many of the authors that May and Fyfe cite as international criminal law “critics” would agree that “reform rather than disbandment is needed” (p. ). Only a small number of commentators advocate the abolition of international criminal tribunals, and the book’s effort to rebut such abolitionism sometimes distracts from its laudable efforts to suggest institutional reforms. Indeed, the authors’ focus on possible institutional destruction seems to limit the depth with which they engage existing debates about institutional reform. That preoccupation also prevents the kind of detailed comparative analysis that would be necessary to support the authors’ claim that international criminal tribunals are the fairest venues for adjudicating particular kinds of crimes. Despite these omissions, the book’s impressive breadth makes it an important vehicle for promoting debates about the normative underpinnings of global criminal justice. It is written clearly and accessibly, which will foster participation by a broad and diverse audience. Scholars will find the book useful as a resource for arguments about the normative strengths and weaknesses of international criminal tribunals, and practitioners of international criminal law should give careful consideration to the authors’ prescriptive suggestions.