Romantics at War: Glory and Guilt in the Age of Terrorism by Fletcher, George P. published by Princeton University Press Hardcover

by George P. Fletcher

"America is at war with terrorism. Terrorists must be brought to justice." We hear these phrases together so often that we rarely pause to reflect on the dramatic differences between the demands of war and the demands of justice, differences so deep that the pursuit of one often comes at the expense of the other. In this book, one of the country's most important legal thinkers brings much-needed clarity to the still unfolding debates about how to pursue war and justice in the age of terrorism. George Fletcher also draws on his rare ability to combine insights from history, philosophy, literature, and law to place these debates in a rich cultural context. He seeks to explain why Americans - for so many years cynical about war - have recently found war so appealing. He finds the answer in a revival of Romanticism, a growing desire in the post-Vietnam era to identify with grand causes and to put nations at the center of ideas about glory and guilt.

Hardcover

First published September 16, 2002

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book appears to be three books in one:
1. A study of American culture around the time of the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
2. A discussion of terrorism and war in law
3. An investigation into the idea of collective guilt
Although the author has some interesting insights, the three themes don't hang together very well. The author is interested in promoting an understanding of how romanticism in culture interacts with the idea of collective guilt, but he doesn't do a very good job of explaining the relevance of this for the fight against terrorism.