Egypt’s legal system stands as a unique confluence of history, culture, and legal traditions. Rooted in Islamic law, influenced by the Napoleonic Code, and shaped by European legal principles, the Egyptian legal framework reflects the nation’s rich and complex heritage. It combines the sacred and the secular, addressing the needs of a diverse population through an independent judiciary that balances tradition with modernity.At the heart of this legal system is the Egyptian Constitution, the highest source of law, which establishes fundamental rights and freedoms while affirming the pivotal role of Islamic law in legislation under Article 2. Alongside the Constitution, statutes such as the Civil Code of 1948, the Commercial Code of 1999, and the Procedural Law of 1968 provide a comprehensive foundation for governance, commerce, and justice.Egypt's courts embody this blend of traditions. Family courts, with their Dispute Settlement Officers (DSOs), bring together legal specialists, psychologists, and social workers to resolve conflicts amicably. Meanwhile, criminal courts empower judges to investigate cases beyond the evidence presented, and the Court of Cassation serves as the ultimate arbiter in the common court system, focusing on legal appeals.Legal principles like pacta sunt servanda grant parties the freedom to regulate their own affairs, reflecting a commitment to autonomy while maintaining the integrity of mandatory norms. Administrative law, with its hybrid of civil and common law influences, showcases the adaptability of Egypt’s legal system in addressing modern administrative challenges.This guide is not only a resource but also an invitation to explore the intricate workings of Egypt's legal system. Whether you are a student, legal practitioner, or business professional, this book provides a practical roadmap for navigating the nuances of Egyptian law, from its foundational sources to its specialized courts and administrative structures.As you turn these pages, you will gain insight into a legal system that mirrors the country itself—a blend of ancient traditions and contemporary practices, steadfast in its pursuit of justice and fairness. May this guide deepen your understanding of Egypt’s legal landscape and equip you with the tools to navigate it with confidence and clarity. Read more

The CAIDP AI Policy Sourcebook is a premier collection of AI policy frameworks, offering policymakers, researchers, journalists, and the public crucial insights into emerging AI governance norms. It features key global frameworks such as the Universal Guidelines for AI, the OECD AI Principles, the UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics, the Council of Europe AI Treaty, and the EU AI Act.The Sourcebook also covers major national AI laws and guidelines from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the U.S., and Europe, along with U.S. Executive Orders on AI. It includes a comprehensive resource section with curated national strategies, reports, and organizations—serving as an essential reference for those studying AI policy.The AI Policy Sourcebook may be used as a companion text for courses on AI and the Law, AI Ethics, and AI Governance. Updates are posted on the page below. CAIDP also publishes the AI and Democratic Values Index, a comprehensive review of AI policies and practices worldwide.Praise for The AI Policy Sourcebook 2025:"I highly recommend this book for both practising professionals, technologists and peers studying digital policy and algorithmic governance." - Yonah Welker, Public Technologist Read more

In this intimate legal and historical detective story, the world-renowned lawyer and acclaimed author of East West Street traces the footsteps of two of the twentieth century’s most merciless criminals—accused of genocide and crimes against humanity—testing the limits of immunity and impunity after Nuremberg.On the evening of October 16, 1998, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was arrested at a medical clinic in London. After a brutal, seventeen-year reign marked by assassinations, disappearances, and torture—frequently tied to the infamous detention center at the heart of Santiago, Londres 38—Pinochet was being indicted for international crimes and extradition to Spain, opening the door to criminal charges that would follow him to the grave, in 2006.Three decades earlier, on the evening of December 3, 1962, SS-Commander Walter Rauff was arrested in his home in Punta Arenas, at the southern tip of Chile. As the overseer of the development and use of gas vans in World War II, he was indicted for the mass murder of tens of thousands of Jews and faced extradition to West Germany.Would these uncommon criminals be held accountable? Were their stories connected? The Nuremberg Trials—where Rauff’s crimes had first been read into the record, in 1945—opened the door to universal jurisdiction, and Pinochet's case would be the first effort to ensnare a former head of state.In this unique blend of memoir, courtroom drama, and travelogue, Philippe Sands gives us a front row seat to the Pinochet trial—where he acted as a barrister for Human Rights Watch—and teases out the dictator’s unexpected connection to a leading Nazi who ended up managing a king crab cannery in Patagonia. A decade-long journey exposes the chilling truth behind the lives of two men and their intertwined destinies on 38 Londres Street. Read more

#1 BESTSELLING LEGAL THRILLER FROM AMAZON #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR★All the Lassiter novels are stand-alones and may be enjoyed in any order.★The client admits he killed a man. His lawyer doesn't believe him.The truth is buried beneath a conspiracy of theft and murderLinebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter heads to Havana and untangles a deadly plot involving the CIA, Fidel Castro, and the Russian government."Realistic, gritty, fun." - New York Times Book Review Read more

Wild Law fuses politics, legal theory, quantum physics and ancient wisdom into a fascinating story. It has been seminal in informing and inspiring the global movement to recognise rights for Nature; a movement destined to shape the twenty-first century as significantly as the human rights movements shaped the twentieth century. This revised edition includes a new preface, postscript and the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth proclaimed on 22 April 2010. Wild Law presents a vision of how we could transform the systems that structure and order industrialised societies to enable us to rediscover a viable role for our species within the Earth community. It reveals how the goverance systems of today legitimise and promote the disastrous juxpolitation and destruction of Earth. The author explains how to begin transforming these systems to ensure that the pursuit of human well-being enhances the beauty, health and diversity of Earth instead of diminishing it. Wild Law describes an Earth-centred approach to ordering human societies (Earth jurisprudence), how to apply it, and it's emerging role as a common manifesto for promoting social and environmental justice, the conservation of biological and cultural diversity, animal rights and welfare, and green spirituality. Read more

DESCRIPTION: "Amidst all the sound and fury surrounding the Italian murder trial of American student Amanda Knox, two people have been largely forgotten. One is the victim, Meredith Kercher, who was by all accounts a lovely, intelligent young woman full of great promise. Her murder was a terrible tragedy. The other is Rudy Guede—the actual murderer. This book shows that the evidence against Guede was overwhelming from the beginning. That he committed the crime alone, without help, is also beyond question. Guede was convicted in a fast-track trial and sentenced to 16 years in prison. But with time off for good behavior, he may be able to gain daytime release privileges as early as this year. Meanwhile, the endless judicial persecution of Amanda and her Italian friend and co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito, continues unabated. Many people I speak to are still uncertain what to believe. They wonder if, perhaps, Amanda and Raffaele might have had something to do with the murder. Some people find it hard to accept that two completely innocent people could linger for so long under a cloud of suspicion, or that the criminal-justice system of a civilized European country could manufacture guilt out of thin air. Others have been influenced by the online industrial complex of Amanda-haters and conspiracy mongers, who have spread their falsehoods everywhere on the web. Many have made up their minds, but there are others who genuinely want to know the truth. "The Forgotten Killer", prepared by some of the country’s leading experts in criminology, forensic science, crime scene analysis, and legal procedure, at long last presents the truth..." - Douglas Preston in Chapter One of "The Forgotten Killer: Rudy Guede and the Murder of Meredith Kercher".AUTHORS: DOUGLAS PRESTON is a journalist and author who has published 25 books, nonfiction and fiction, several of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers. JOHN DOUGLAS, who served as special agent for the FBI for twenty-five years, is the Bureau’s pioneer of behavioral profiling and modern criminal investigative analysis. He authored the landmark study of incarcerated serial offenders that ultimately led to the FBI’s operational profiling program. MARK OLSHAKER is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and New York Times bestselling nonfiction author who has worked closely with many of the nation’s leading experts in law enforcement and criminal justice. STEVE MOORE retired from the FBI following a 25-year career as a Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent. During his tenure, he ran Al Qaeda investigations for the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Los Angeles, and later headed the investigation of terror attacks against the US throughout Pakistan and Asia. Steve has received multiple awards from the US Department of Justice for his successful US and overseas investigations, which ran the gamut from bombings to school shootings, anthrax threats to kidnappings and murders to international terrorist organizations. JUDGE MICHAEL HEAVEY is a distinguished former lawmaker and jurist who has become a champion for the rights of those wrongfully convicted. He is the founder of "Judges for Justice", a non-profit organization committed to providing independent, impartial, and experienced judicial analysis of cases of alleged innocence... JIM LOVERING is a retired businessman with an interest in criminal justice and wrongful convictions who, along with other experts, developed a definitive archive of accurate information about the murder of Meredith Kercher. THOMAS LEE WRIGHT is a writer and filmmaker whose documentaries on social justice issues have shown on television and around the world. During the time of Amanda Knox’s incarceration, he co-founded FriendsofAmanda.org to make up-to-date facts on her case available to the media and the general public. ADIL DARA KIM designed the cover of this book. Read more

The Dual State, first published in 1941, remains one of the most erudite books on the logic of dictatorship. It was the first comprehensive analysis of the rise and nature of National Socialism and the only such analysis written from within Hitler's Germany. Ernst Fraenkel's courageous ethnography of law was widely acclaimed upon publication, and it has influenced considerably postwar debates about the nature of the Third Reich. But The Dual State also has relevance for the study of dictatorship in the twenty-first century. Fraenkel's innovative concept of the dual state, with its two halvesthe normative state (which generally respects its own laws and regulations) and the prerogative state (which violates them wantonly) illuminates powerfully the complicated relationship between law and order in many countries around the world. It speaks directly to the idea of an authoritarian rule of law. This republication of Fraenkel's classic makes it once again available to scholars and students in law, the social sciences, and the humanities. It includes Fraenkel's 1974 preface to and two appendices from the first German editionnever before published in English. An extensive introduction by Jens Meierhenrich places Fraenkel's ethnography of law in historical and theoretical context. Read more

In 1950, after over fifty years of military occupation and colonial rule, the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico staged an unsuccessful armed insurrection against the United States. Violence swept through the island: assassins were sent to kill President Harry Truman, gunfights roared in eight towns, police stations and post offices were burned down. In order to suppress this uprising, the US Army deployed thousands of troops and bombarded two towns, marking the first time in history that the US government bombed its own citizens.Nelson A. Denis tells this powerful story through the controversial life of Pedro Albizu Campos, who served as the president of the Nationalist Party. A lawyer, chemical engineer, and the first Puerto Rican to graduate from Harvard Law School, Albizu Campos was imprisoned for twenty-five years and died under mysterious circumstances. By tracing his life and death, Denis shows how the journey of Albizu Campos is part of a larger story of Puerto Rico and US colonialism.Through oral histories, personal interviews, eyewitness accounts, congressional testimony, and recently declassified FBI files, War Against All Puerto Ricans tells the story of a forgotten revolution and its context in Puerto Rico’s history, from the US invasion in 1898 to the modern-day struggle for self-determination. Denis provides an unflinching account of the gunfights, prison riots, political intrigue, FBI and CIA covert activity, and mass hysteria that accompanied this tumultuous period in Puerto Rican history. Read more

'The must read masterpiece . . . utterly essential' PETER POMERANTSEV'With erudition and verve' TIMOTHY SNYDER'Powerful' SERHII PLOKHY'Masterful' BEN ANSELLA history of Russian violence waged against Ukraine across the centuries. Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shocked the world. And yet this attack was in fact the latest episode in a centuries-long Russian campaign. In Intent to Destroy, leading scholar of genocide and Eastern Europe Eugene Finkel uncovers the deep roots of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Ever since the rise of Russian nationalism in the nineteenth century, the domination of this key borderland has become a cornerstone of Russian and Soviet policy. Using genocidal tactics - killings, deportations, starvation and cultural destruction - against ethnic Ukrainians and minorities including Tatars, Jews and Poles, Russia's long-standing policy has aimed to obliterate Ukrainian identity. This eradication has consistently been a part of the Kremlin playbook and leads inexorably to the violence we see today. Told with the astonishing power of Finkel's connection to this living history, and the authority of two decades of research, Intent to Destroy casts today's war it its broadest historical context, illuminating as never before Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War II. Read more

For nearly forty years, The law of the sea has been regarded as an authoritative and standard work on the subject, combining detailed analysis and relevant, practical examples with a clear and engaging style. Completely revised and updated, this new edition will be a vital resource for anyone with an interest in maritime affairs.The book provides a rigorous analysis of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the many other legal instruments that regulate human activities at sea, as well as taking full account of the numerous decisions of international courts and tribunals in recent years. It also traces the historical background to the law and its broader political, economic and environmental context. The new edition includes substantially expanded coverage of contemporary threats faced by the marine environment from human activities, such as the loss of marine biodiversity, the effects of climate change on the oceans and the vast amounts of plastic polluting the sea.This volume is written by three highly qualified authors, drawing on their extensive experience of teaching and researching the law of the sea, as well as their practical experience in advising governments and acting as counsel and arbitrators in international litigation.This book is relevant to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life below water Read more

Getting roughed up by Islamic fundamentalists, the weekly “feline sex-fest” in Kyiv, bribing Russian police to avoid jail in Moscow, sheltering under the sink (with the lizards) when the ammo dump exploded in Juba, automatic weapons training in Indiana, and that ill-fated morning bike ride in Kabul. It was a great job!Bike Riding in Kabul follows the professional and personal adventures of international legal consultant Jamie Bowman, an attorney from California, as she endeavors to update the laws of Kosovo, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Moscow, Southern Sudan, Rwanda, and Afghanistan.As seen through Ms. Bowman’s good humor and unique perspective, Bike Riding in Kabul moves with effortless charm through a fascinating array of personalities and events. It is full of exotic locations, difficult work challenges, strong female role models, and quirky characters, and explores a wide range of themes, including the important role of reform, endemic corruption, post-Cold War sentiments, and how other countries view the United States. Throughout the book, Jamie is supported by an Argentine boyfriend who helps her make sense of the crazy situations she finds herself in.Fast-paced, funny, occasionally heartbreaking, but always wholly original, Bike Riding in Kabul captures the challenges of an American working overseas and is a story of finding the strength necessary to do the right thing, even when the consequences may be personally damaging. Read more

“A brilliant and bracing analysis of the Palestine question and settler colonialism . . . a vital lens into movement lawyering on the international plane.” —Vasuki Nesiah, New York University, founding member of Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL)   Justice in the Question of Palestine is often framed as a question of law. Yet none of the Israel-Palestinian conflict’s most vexing challenges have been resolved by judicial intervention. Occupation law has failed to stem Israel’s settlement enterprise. Laws of war have permitted killing and destruction during Israel’s military offensives in the Gaza Strip. The Oslo Accord’s two-state solution is now dead letter.   Justice for Some offers a new approach to understanding the Palestinian struggle for freedom, told through the power and control of international law. Focusing on key junctures—from the Balfour Declaration in 1917 to present-day wars in Gaza—Noura Erakat shows how the strategic deployment of law has shaped current conditions. Over the past century, the law has done more to advance Israel’s interests than the Palestinians’. But, Erakat argues, this outcome was never inevitable.    Law is politics, and its meaning and application depend on the political intervention of states and people alike. Within the law, change is possible. International law can serve the cause of freedom when it is mobilized in support of a political movement. Presenting the promise and risk of international law, Justice for Some calls for renewed action and attention to the Question of Palestine.  “Careful and captivating . . . This book asks that the Palestinian liberation struggle and Jewish-Israeli society each reckon with the impossibility of a two-state future, reimagining what their interests are—and what they could become.” —Amanda McCaffrey, Jewish Currents Read more

Unlock the vast world of International Maritime Law with this comprehensive mini-book designed for maritime professionals and enthusiasts. Whether you're navigating the complexities of UNCLOS, understanding flag state responsibilities, or seeking insights into maritime dispute resolution, this guide simplifies essential legal concepts. Rich with real-world examples, supporting visuals, and case studies, it's the perfect resource to build a solid foundation in international maritime regulations. From environmental protections to global navigation rights, gain the knowledge to confidently operate within the maritime industry. Stay informed, stay compliant, and stay ahead of the curve.This mini-book provides a clear and accessible overview of international maritime law, breaking down complex legal frameworks into practical, understandable concepts. Tailored for beginners and intermediate readers, it equips maritime professionals with the essential knowledge to navigate legal challenges confidently. With up-to-date information and key insights, it’s your go-to resource for staying compliant and competitive in the global maritime industry. Read more

'Roland's compelling account is highly readable.'Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, Professor of History, University of ExeterAnyone wishing to understand the nature of evil can do no better than look within the pages of this book. When Hitler's 'thousand-year Reich' collapsed after twelve years of increasing repression, how were those responsible to be punished? Hitler, Himmler and Goebbels took their own lives to evade justice, but that still left Hermann Goering, Albert Speer, Hitler's one-time Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess and many other prominent Nazis to be brought before the Allied courts.This is the story of the Nuremberg Trials - the most important criminal hearings ever held, which established the principle that individuals will always be held responsible for their actions under international law, and which brought closure to World War II, allowing the reconstruction of Europe to begin. Read more

The Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC) is one of the world’s leading arbitral institutions, registering about 200 new cases each year, approximately half of them being international cases in commercial and investment treaty disputes. True to the SCC tradition of offering a cost-efficient and flexible procedure, the SCC’s current Arbitration Rules, which came into force in 2017, introduced important new mechanisms enhancing the efficiency of the proceedings. This guide to the SCC Arbitration Rules, the first and only available commentary in English, addresses the Rules and their appendices article by article in the order in which they appear in the Rules.Focusing primarily on how the Rules are applied in practice, the authors bring together their combined extensive experience of conducting SCC arbitrations as counsel, arbitrators and members of the SCC Board and Secretariat, to provide thorough and user-friendly guidance on the SCC proceedings from start to finish, including the new features introduced in 2017 such as summary procedure, joinder and multiple-contract arbitrations, as well as the new appendix addressing certain aspects specific to investment treaty arbitration. Covering all the general issues such as appointment and removal of arbitrators, the proceedings before the arbitral tribunal, making of awards and decisions, the following issues are also addressed:emergency arbitrator proceedings;consolidation of cases;the appointment of an administrative secretary;particular characteristics of investment treaty disputes; andcosts of the arbitration.This guide is sure to appeal to arbitrators, external counsel and party representatives who choose to adopt the SCC Arbitration Rules, whether they are based in Sweden or elsewhere. Practitioners will confidently approach any case under the SCC Arbitration Rules with full awareness of applicable rules of procedure and practice. Read more

Space activities enrich life on Earth through satellite communications, Earth observation, and space research. They also play key roles in disaster prevention and climate monitoring, as well as in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.This book explores the international legal framework for space activities, providing information on historical breakthroughs, in addition to basic technical issues surrounding satellite and outer space. After exploring the principles governing satellites and outer space, the discussion turns to space sustainability as it has become a central issue in current discussions.Satellite and Outer Space Law is ideal for students, researchers, academics, public servants, lawmakers, and anyone interested in law and public policy, and seeks to inspire new research in this evolving field. Read more

The central question of the Arab Spring—what democracies should look like in the deeply religious countries of the Middle East—has developed into a vigorous debate over these nations’ secular identities. But what, exactly, is secularism? What has the West’s long familiarity with it inevitably obscured? In Questioning Secularism, Hussein Ali Agrama tackles these questions. Focusing on the fatwa councils and family law courts of Egypt just prior to the revolution, he delves deeply into the meaning of secularism itself and the ambiguities that lie at its heart. Drawing on a precedent-setting case arising from the family law courts —the last courts in Egypt to use Shari‘a law—Agrama shows that secularism is a historical phenomenon that works through a series of paradoxes that it creates. Digging beneath the perceived differences between the West and Middle East, he highlights secularism’s dependence on the law and the problems that arise from it: the necessary involvement of state sovereign power in managing the private spiritual lives of citizens and the irreducible set of legal ambiguities such a relationship creates. Navigating a complex landscape between private and public domains, Questioning Secularism lays important groundwork for understanding the real meaning of secularism as it affects the real freedoms of a citizenry, an understanding of the utmost importance for so many countries that are now urgently facing new political possibilities. Read more

Fully updated, the sixth edition of International Human Rights examines the ways in which states and other international actors have addressed human rights since the end of World War II. This unique textbook features substantial attention to theory, history, international and regional institutions, and the role of transnational actors in the protection and promotion of human rights. Its purpose is to explore the difficult and contentious politics of human rights, and how those political dimensions have been addressed at the national, regional, and especially international levels.Key features include:substantially revised throughout, including new material on LGBTQ rights in Africa, Indigenous peoples’ rights in Guatemala, the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, and a new chapter on human rights and development;in-text features such as discussion questions, suggested readings, case studies, and "problems" to promote classroom discussion and in-depth examination of topics;concise yet clearly organised and comprehensive coverage of the topic.International Human Rights is essential reading for courses and modules in human rights, politics and international relations, law, criminal justice, sociology, social work, public administration, and international development. Read more

This book explores the large and controversial subject of the use of force in international law. It examines not only the use of force by states but also the role of the UN in peacekeeping and enforcement action, and the increasing role of regional organizations in the maintenance of international peace and security.The UN Charter framework is under challenge. Russia's invasion of Georgia and intervention in Ukraine, the USA's military operations in Syria, and Saudi Arabia's campaign to restore the government of Yemen by force all raise questions about the law on intervention. The 'war on terror' that began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the USA has not been won. It has spread far beyond Afghanistan: it has led to targeted killings in Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, and to intervention against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Is there an expanding right of self-defence against non-state actors? Is the use of force effective? The development of nuclear weapons by North Korea has reignited discussion about the legality of pre-emptive self-defence. The NATO-led operation in Libya increased hopes for the implementation of 'responsibility to protect', but it also provoked criticism for exceeding the Security Council's authorization of force because its outcome was regime change. UN peacekeeping faces new challenges, especially with regard to the protection of civilians, and UN forces have been given revolutionary mandates in several African states. But the 2015 report Uniting Our Strengths reaffirmed that UN peacekeeping is not suited to counter-terrorism or enforcement operations; the UN should turn to regional organizations such as the African Union as first responders in situations of ongoing armed conflict. Read more

The theoretical underpinnings of public international law have taken the sovereign status of the nation-state for granted since the beginning of the modern era. After centuries of evolution in legal and political thought, the state's definition as a bounded territorial unit has been strictly codified. The legal development of the nation-state was an ideological project informed by extra-legal considerations. Additionally, the ever-narrowing scope of the juridical idea of sovereignty functioned as a boundary mechanism instrumental in colonising Africa and other regions. While international law claims universal liberalism today, the current system based on sovereign nation-states represents not social inclusion but fierce and dangerous exclusion.The central thesis of this book is that the development of legal sovereignty was, rather than part of the modernist progress narrative, a historically contingent evolutionary regression. While other social systems such as economics and science became globalised, politics and law counterintuitively became more territorialised. It is argued that the nation-state today is not only anachronistic but is dangerously ill-equipped for facing international problems such as the climate crisis or global pandemics. Finally, it also leaves African states and many other formerly-colonised territories at a particular disadvantage by regulating their political practices into a predefined mould. Read more