Brutality in an Age of Human Rights: Activism and Counterinsurgency at the End of the British Empire

In Brutality in an Age of Human Rights, Brian Drohan demonstrates that British officials' choices concerning counterinsurgency methods have long been deeply influenced or even redirected by the work of human rights activists. To reveal how that influence was manifested by military policies and practices, Drohan examines three British counterinsurgency campaigns—Cyprus (1955–1959), Aden (1963–1967), and the peak of the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland (1969–1976). This book is enriched by Drohan's use of a newly available collection of 1.2 million colonial-era files, International Committee of the Red Cross files, the extensive Troubles collection at Linen Hall Library in Belfast, and many other sources.

Drohan argues that when faced with human rights activism, British officials sought to evade, discredit, and deflect public criticism of their actions to avoid drawing attention to brutal counterinsurgency practices such as the use of torture during interrogation. Some of the topics discussed in the book, such as the use of violence against civilians, the desire to uphold human rights values while simultaneously employing brutal methods, and the dynamic of wars waged in the glare of the media, are of critical interest to scholars, lawyers, and government officials dealing with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those to come in the future.

Acknowledgments
Maps
Introduction
1. A Lawyers' War
2. The Shadow of Strasbourg
3. "Hunger War"
4. "This Unhappy Affair"
5. "A More Talkative Place"
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Brian Drohan is a Major in the U.S. Army.

Drohan's book provides an excellent understanding of the rhetoric and practice of counterinsurgency and a firm foundation for understanding the universe of euphemism and defensiveness that surrounds such efforts even today.

Drohan addresses many legal and moral issues about the challenges of maintaining order and securing human rights in a revolutionary context, [and] the book's major contribution is its detailed historical account of three insurgencies. The book is recommended for all readership levels.

Brian Drohan's book is a vital empirical study informing both humanitarianism and human rights historiographies. It opens pointedly with the diverse legal justifications provided by the British and American governments for their decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

Brutality in an Age of Human Rights is an important book, one that recalls the significant political damage to Britain's reputation and interests caused by the adoption of brutal methods of counterinsurgency. It is also a valuable historical reminder how easily the 'rule of law' can be effectively manipulated to enable abuse.

In the context of the current debate over colonial-era reparations and compensation claims for alleged human rights abuses, Brian Drohan's timely and salutary addition to the literature will be of critical interest to legal practitioners, historians, and political scientists.