How big a problem is torture? Are the right things being done to prevent it? What does the UN do, and why does it appear at times to be so impotent in the face of torture? In this vitally important work, Malcolm D. Evans tells the story of torture prevention under international law, setting out what is really happening in places of detention around the world. Challenging assumptions about torture’s root causes, he calls for what is needed to enable us to be in a better position to bring about change. The author draws on over ten years’ experience as the Chair of the United Nations Sub-Committee for Prevention of Torture to give a frank account of the remarkable capacities of this system, what it has achieved in practice, what it has not been able to achieve – and most importantly, why.

The civil rights movement was among the most important historical developments of the twentieth century and one of the most remarkable mass movements in American history. Not only did it decisively change the legal and political status of African Americans, but it prefigured as well the moral premises and methods of struggle for other historically oppressed groups seeking equal standing in American society. And, yet, despite a vague, sometimes begrudging recognition of its immense import, more often than not the movement has been misrepresented and misunderstood. For the general public, a singular moment, frozen in time at the Lincoln Memorial, sums up much of what Americans know about that remarkable decade of struggle. In The Movement, Thomas C. Holt provides an informed and nuanced understanding of the origins, character, and objectives of the mid-twentieth-century freedom struggle, privileging the aspirations and initiatives of the ordinary, grassroots people who made it. Holt conveys a sense of these developments as a social movement, one that shaped its participants even as they shaped it. He emphasizes the conditions of possibility that enabled the heroic initiatives of the common folk over those of their more celebrated leaders. This groundbreaking book reinserts the critical concept of "movement" back into our image and understanding of the civil rights movement.

This timely book examines the field of European and global standardisation, showing how standards give rise to a multitude of different legal questions. Each chapter offers in-depth analysis of a number of key policy areas such as food safety, accounting, telecommunications and medical devices. These multi-disciplinary contributions go beyond the field of law, and provide cross-disciplinary comparisons. Demonstrating how standards enter the European legal system in a variety of ways, the book studies their relevance for public and private law alike. While the trade advantages of using standards in regulation are undeniable, the contributors elucidate how standard-setting processes have departed from the purely private realm to enter the stage of public regulation. This inevitably raises the issue of whether standardisation is supported by sufficient legitimacy guarantees. The contributions provide valuable insights to answering this question, highlighting cross-cutting reflections on the topic, and case studies on specific policy areas. This analytical book will be of interest to students and scholars researching in the fields of EU and global standardisation, EU law and trade law. It will also be a useful resource for practitioners focusing on regulation and standardisation. Contributors include: D. Bevilacqua, M. Cantero Gamito, C. Cauffman, P. Cuccuru, M. De Bellis, M. Eliantonio, M. Faure, M. Gerardy, C. Glinski, N. Philipsen, S. Roettger-Wirtz, P. Rott, S. Schoenmaekers, L. Senden, B. Van Leeuwen, A. Volpato

Focuses on the essentials that public managers should know about administrative law-why we have administrative law, the constitutional structure for and constraints on public administration, and administrative law's formats for rulemaking, adjudication, enforcement, transparency, and judicial and legislative review or administrative activity. Views administrative law from the perspectives of administrative practice, rather than lawyering, with an emphasis on how various administrative law provisions promote their underlying goals of improving the fit between public administration and U.S. democratic-constitutionalism. Organized around federal administrative law while including references to state practices where appropriate, the book explains the essentials of administrative law clearly, concisely, and accurately, in non-technical terms, and in sufficient depth to provide readers with a sophisticated, lasting understanding of the subject matter. Includes new cases and examples throughout the text, updated suggestions for additional reading, refreshed chapter discussion questions, and expanded treatment of guidance documents, administrative "dark matter," and the Congressional Review Act

Focuses on the essentials that public managers should know about administrative law-why we have administrative law, the constitutional structure for and constraints on public administration, and administrative law's formats for rulemaking, adjudication, enforcement, transparency, and judicial and legislative review or administrative activity. Views administrative law from the perspectives of administrative practice, rather than lawyering, with an emphasis on how various administrative law provisions promote their underlying goals of improving the fit between public administration and U.S. democratic-constitutionalism. Organized around federal administrative law while including references to state practices where appropriate, the book explains the essentials of administrative law clearly, concisely, and accurately, in non-technical terms, and in sufficient depth to provide readers with a sophisticated, lasting understanding of the subject matter. Includes new cases and examples throughout the text, updated suggestions for additional reading, refreshed chapter discussion questions, and expanded treatment of guidance documents, administrative "dark matter," and the Congressional Review Act

Focusing on contemporary debates in philosophy and legal theory, this ground-breaking book provides a compelling enquiry into the nature of human dignity. The author not only illustrates that dignity is a concept that can extend our understanding of our environmental impacts and duties, but also highlights how our reliance on and relatedness to the environment further extends and enhances our understanding of dignity itself. Against the background of current global threats to the realisation of rights, including severe environmental degradation and depleted reserves of essential natural resources, this innovative book considers whether dignity has any role to play in addressing these new problems, as well as in securing environmental rights and greater environmental care. The author provides an astute examination of important developments in human and environmental rights across a range of jurisdictions and levels, and considers whether human dignity should play a more central role in judicial considerations regarding environmental rights and environmental threats to human rights. Eminently engaging, this forward-thinking book will prove a critical read for legal academics and scholars with an interest in human dignity and environmental rights, as well as judicial reasoning and legal philosophy more widely. Its practical presentation of recent developments will also be of great importance to practitioners and policy-makers working in human rights and environmental law.

This revised and updated casebook comprehensively compares the U.S. legal approach to problems of inequality and discrimination with the approaches of a variety of other legal systems around the world, including those in Europe, South Africa, China, Colombia, India and Brazil. This book provides an introduction to theories of equality and sources of equality law, and examines inequality and discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and identity, religion and disability. Key features: Extensive chapter notes add critical context to areas of developing law Analysis of a range of sources: each chapter includes case law, treaty law, statutory law, regulatory law and legal scholarship A comparative problem-based approach, using concrete issues of inequality and discrimination to help students focus on real world concerns Examination of key contested topics such as marriage inequality, the rights of persons with disabilities, affirmative action, reproductive rights, employment discrimination and hate speech A supplementary online course with additional content and guidance for both students and instructors is available through Stanford Law School. Written in a thorough yet accessible style and with contributions from leading international legal scholars, this casebook is ideal for lecture courses, seminars and summer programs in equality and anti-discrimination in law schools, as well as undergraduate courses in law, political science and sociology. Contributors include: D. Allen, P.L. Cherian, D. Collier, J. Damamme, T. Degener, R. Ford, S. Foster, S. Han, K. Loper, S. Misra, D.B. Oppenheimer, M.-C. Pauwels, S. Robin-Olivier, B. Wang, W. Zhou

The practice of armed conflict has changed radically in the last decade. With eminent contributors from legal, government and military backgrounds, this Research Handbook addresses the legal implications of remote warfare and its significance for combatants, civilians, policymakers and international lawyers. Primarily focused on the legality of all forms of remote warfare, including targeted killings by drone, cyber-attacks, and autonomous weapons, each chapter gives a compelling insight beyond the standard and reactionary criticisms of these technologies. Current assumptions of remote warfare are challenged and discussed from a variety of international perspectives. These include governing the use of force, humanitarian law, criminal law, and human rights law. Contributors consider the essential features of current warfare regulations, and test their strength for controlling these new technologies. Suggestions are made for the future development of law to control the limits of modern remote warfare, with a particular focus on the possibility of autonomous weapons. This is an essential read for academics and students of jus ad bellum, international humanitarian law, criminal law and human rights. Students of political science, governance and military studies will also find this a thought-provoking insight into modern warfare techniques and the complex legal issues they create. Contributors include: W. Banks, G. Corn, E. Crawford, A. Cullen, L. Davies-Bright, G. Gaggioli, R. Geiss, T.D. Gill, R. Heinsch, I.S. Henderson, P. Keane, M. Klamberg, H. Lahmann, J. Liddy, P. Margulies, M.W. Meier, J.D. Ohlin, M. Roorda, J. van Haaster, N. White

This book examines the law and its practice in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The objective is to understand the logic of the legal system in the UAE through a rounded analysis of its laws in context. It thus presents an understanding of the system on its own terms beyond the accepted Western model. The book shows how the Emirati law differs from the conventional rule of law. The first section of the book deals with the imperial, international, and cultural background of the Emirati legal system and its influences on some of the elements of the legal system today. It maps the state's international legal obligations according to core human rights treaties showing how universal interpretations of rights may differ from Emirati interpretations of rights. This logic is further illustrated through an overview of the legal system, in federal, local, and free zones and how the UAE's diversity of legal sources from Islamic and colonial law provides legal adaptability. The second section of the book deals mainly with the contemporary system of the rule of law in the UAE but at times makes a detour to the British administration to show how imperial execution of power during the British administration created forerunners visible today. Finally, the debut of the UAE on the international scene contributed to an interest in human rights investigations, having manifestations in UAE law. The work will be a valuable resource for researchers and academics working in the areas of Comparative Constitutional Law, Legal Anthropology, Legal Pluralism, and Middle Eastern Studies.

Judicial Interpretation of Tax Treaties is a detailed, comprehensive analytical guide to the interpretation of tax treaties at the national level. The book focuses on how domestic courts interpret and apply the OECD Commentary to the OECD Model Tax Convention on Income and on Capital. Adopting a global perspective, the book gives a systematic presentation of the main interpretive proposals put forward by the OECD Commentary, and analyses selected cases decided in domestic tax systems in order to assess whether and how such solutions are adopted through national judicial process, and indeed which of these are of most practical value. The book operates on two levels: Firstly it sets out a clear and comprehensive framework of tax treaty law, which will be an important tool for any tax practitioner. Secondly, the book provides crucial guidance on issues of tax treaty law as applied at domestic level, such as investment or business income, dispute resolution and administrative cooperation. Key features: - A detailed and structured introduction to the main issues of tax treaties - Ideal for practitioners requiring a grounding in the functioning of tax treaty law - Concise summaries of the relevant issues, cases, and problems for each discrete chapter - Offers a basic 'globalized' handbook that is missing in the current literature about judicial application of tax treaties. This comprehensive treatment of tax treaty law is a ready reference for tax practitioners, and an essential introduction for non-specialists. The book can also be used as a companion to courses in international taxation.

* Translation of a prestigious and successful German publication;

The late Chief justice of South Africa, Pius Langa, was a remarkable man. He achieved so much in his life and touched many people with his quiet dignity, his generosity and his sparkling humour. As a lawyer, he had a profound impact on the establishment of South Africa's new democracy and the adoption of the country's Constitution. Through his work on the Constitutional court, he charted a path that would allow the country to reach what he called the 'vision of the Constitution'. As a man, he served as an example to many: He was strong, committed, empathetic, thoughtful and kind. A transformative justice: Essays in honour of Pius Langa and Acta Juridica 2015 pay tribute to this remarkable man and lawyer. The book has three sections: first, a series of personal tributes to Justice Langa; second, reflections on the work of the Constitutional court under Langa's leadership as well as aspects of his philosophy as a judge; and third, explorations of a variety of specific themes in his judgments, writings and speeches. The contributions to A transformative justice are written by eminent judges, academics and practitioners, many of whom worked closely with Langa. The book addresses a broad range of practical and theoretical topics, including transformative constitutionalism, judicial dissent, the role of the people in constitutionalism, and legal education, as well as the areas of customary law, contract law, delict, administrative law, criminal law and procedure, and the protection of rights to equality, freedom of religion and culture.

In this book, Mary McThomas examines how individuals can claim their own subjecthood while still evading the identity-forming powers of state surveillance. Building on post-colonial theories, Queer theories, and surveillance studies, McThomas analyzes how the creation of categories and identities can serve as a form of control or, conversely, can be used as a form of resistance. In doing so, she discusses ways in which state power is extended or frustrated, and the way in which the unauthorized resident shapes public discourse and policy. Featuring over 100 hours of committee meetings, public hearings, and legislative floor debates on sanctuary cities in the United States, McThomas argues for policies that recognize and protect residents while allowing them to remain invisible to federal immigration enforcement officers. She locates sites of contestation and potential points of resistance that allow for individuals to self-create their identities free from state intervention. It is these sites and practices that help to subvert the state's monopoly on determining which bodies matter and which stories are heard. Elusive Subjects: Immigrant Recognition and Legitimation in Modern Surveillance States will appeal to scholars and instructors in the fields of citizenship studies, surveillance studies, immigration policy, and migration studies.

It has been frequently argued that democracy is protected and realized under constitutions that protect certain rights and establish the conditions for a functioning representative democracy. However, some democrats still find something profoundly unsettling about contemporary constitutional regimes. The participation of ordinary citizens in constitutional change in the world's most "advanced" democracies (such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom) is weak at best: the power of constitutional reform usually lies in the exclusive hands of legislatures. How can constitutions that can only be altered by those occupying positions of power be considered democratically legitimate? This book argues that only a regime that provides an outlet for constituent power to manifest from time to time can ever come to enjoy democratic legitimacy. In so doing, it advances a democratic constitutional theory, one that combines a strong or participatory conception of democracy with a weak form of constitutionalism. The author engages with Anglo-American constitutional theory as well as examining the theory and practise of constituent power in different constitutional regimes (including Latin American countries) where constituent power has become an important part of the left's legal and political discourse. Weak Constitutionalism: Democratic Legitimacy and the Question of Constituent Power will be of particular interest to legal/political theorists and comparative constitutional lawyers. It also provides an introduction to the theory of constituent power and its relationship to constitutionalism and democracy.

Law Enforcement by EU Authorities is the first comprehensive study of a new development in the field of EU law and governance: the proliferation of EU enforcement authorities (EEAs). It offers an investigation into each of the existing eight EEAs, the prospective European Public Prosecutor's Office and how they enforce EU law vis-a-vis private actors together with relevant national enforcement authorities. The study focuses on the interplay between political accountability and judicial protection in the system of shared direct enforcement. It offers a comparative investigation into the EU-national interrelationship in the field of shared enforcement and shows the need for improvement of democratic control and judicial protection in the area of 'shared tasks, but separated controls'. Expert contributors analyze these issues in relation to specific sectors, including financial/banking supervision, aviation, food law, fisheries, fraud, financial interests of the European Union, competition law and pharmaceuticals. This detailed book includes insights from both academics and practitioners, drawing on different national backgrounds and subject specialisms. It provides an important resource for researchers of EU law and governance and officials in the field of enforcement. Contributors include: F. Blanc, A. Brenninkmeijer, F. Cacciatore, M. Chamon, F. Coman-Kund, A. Corini, P. Craig, K. Cseres, T. Duijkersloot, M. Eliantonio, J. Foster, A. Karagianni, F. Kets, R. Kraaijeveld, M. Luchtman, M. Maggetti, G. Ottimofiore, A. Ottow, A. Outhuijse, M. Ratajczyk, E. Schmidt, M. Scholten, B.M.J. van der Meulen, E. van Gelder, M. van Rijsbergen, E. Versluis, J. Vervaele, M. Wasmeier, R. Widdershoven, S. Wirtz

Property is a constitutionally protected right around the world. Expropriations are lawful only if they can be legitimately justified. In the past few decades, there has been an increasing number of expropriations in favour of private business projects. Governments hope that these projects will create jobs and economic growth, but the justification of such third-party transfers for economic development is controversial. The public benefits of such expropriations are disputed, since they directly benefit private parties, and frequently do not have the desired outcome. The Legitimate Justification of Expropriation: A Comparative Law and Governance Analysis investigates the institutional, procedural, and substantive conditions under which different jurisdictions permit third-party transfers for economic development. The jurisdictions examined are the Netherlands, Germany, New York State and South Africa. The Legitimate Justification of Expropriation: A Comparative Law and Governance Analysis shows that employment or economic growth created by private business projects is a legitimate end in all the jurisdictions under examination. However, some striking differences between the jurisdictions are evident, with respect to several questions, including: Which state body decides on whether economic development is a legitimate end? Can a judge prevent unnecessary or excessive expropriations? Is the project developer obliged to implement the project? Against the backdrop of international good governance standards, The Legitimate Justification of Expropriation: A Comparative Law and Governance Analysis assesses whether the laws in these jurisdictions are adequate. The book demonstrates that the examined jurisdictions in various respects fail to meet international standards and recommends legal reforms to ensure compliance.

This book develops principles of adjudication to facilitate accountability for violations of Economic and Social Rights. Economic and Social Rights engage with areas relating to social justice and their violation tends to impact on the most vulnerable members of society. Taking the UK as a case study, the book draws on international experience and comparative practice, including progressive reform at the devolved subnational level, that demonstrate the potential reach of Economic and Social Rights when the rights are given legal standing in domestic settings according to their status in international law. The work looks at different models of incorporation of rights into domestic law and sets out existing justiciability mechanisms for their enforcement as well as future models open to development. In so doing the book develops principles of adjudication drawn from deliberative democracy theory that help address some of the critiques of social rights adjudication. This book will have a global and cross-sectoral appeal to legal practitioners, the judiciary and the civil services, as well as to researchers, academics and students in the fields of human rights law, comparative constitutional law and deliberative democracy theory.

This book offers a comprehensive systematic analysis of the European Union's Early Warning System (EWS) for subsidiarity, which was introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon. The book includes both a detailed theoretical analysis of the EWS as well as an assessment of how national parliaments have responded to EU legislative proposals under the system. Philipp Kiiver explores whether the EWS could function as a mechanism of legal accountability offering a partial remedy to the European Union's much-discussed accountability deficit. The Early Warning System for the Principle of Subsidiarity provides an overview of the historical developments of national parliamentary involvement in the EU and also considers the broader implications of the EWS, including its relationship to democracy and legitimacy. The book will be of particular interest to academics and students of EU Law, Constitutional Law and Political Science.

Abbe Brown's new work provides a welcome and extremely valuable addition of the human rights dimension to the long standing conflict over essential technologies between intellectual property and competition law.' - Steven Anderman, University of Essex, UK and University of Stockholm, Sweden'Much has been written on the flexibilities available within the intellectual property system to address development and social needs. This book goes a step further: it explores how greater access to essential technologies can be ensured through human rights and competition law. Although the analysis is focused on UK and the European Union, the book provides valuable insights for assessing the situation in other jurisdictions. The author suggests an innovative approach for courts and legislators to overcome, in the light of public interest considerations, the limits imposed by intellectual property rights. This book is a much welcomed contribution to academic and policy debates on the subject.' - Carlos M. Correa, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina 'Intellectual property interacts (or clashes?) with human rights and competition law. The refreshing bit about this book is that a detailed practical approach to the inevitable balancing act is proposed. Abbe Brown explains how a human rights approach is the cornerstone of such a balancing approach and how positive results can be achieved towards unblocking essential technologies. And it can be done in the existing international legal framework, even if the latter could be improved. Well-researched, challenging and interesting reading!' - Paul Torremans, University of Nottingham, UK 'Abbe Brown's study starts from the assumption that IP right owners, particularly those of innovative technologies, dispose of a disproportionately strong legal position in relation to that of competitors and customers, which is detrimental to society at large. Brown investigates how the power of the IP right owners can be limited by applying existing human rights law and competition law. To that aim it is suggested to widen the legal landscape and to develop a more tripartite substantive approach to IP law, human rights law and competition law. Brown's study offers a very welcome new contribution to the literature on the functioning of IP law, by stressing the joint role which competition law and human rights law can play in this respect.' - F. Willem Grosheide, Utrecht University and Attorney at law, Van Doorne Amsterdam, The Netherlands This detailed book explores the relationship between intellectual property, competition and human rights. It considers the extent to which they can and must be combined by decision makers, and how this approach can foster innovation in key areas for society such as pharmaceutical drugs, communications software and technology to combat climate change. The author argues that these three legal fields are strongly interrelated and that they can be used to identify essential technologies. She demonstrates that in some cases, combining the fields can deliver new bases for wider access to be provided to technologies. The solutions developed are strongly based on existing laws, with a focus on the UK and the EU and the structures of existing forms of dispute resolution, including the European Court of Human Rights and the dispute settlement bodies of the World Trade Organization. The final chapters also suggest opportunities for further engagement at international policy and activist level, new approaches to IP and its treaties, and wider adoption of the proposals. This timely book will appeal to academics and practitioners in IP, competition and human rights, as well as innovation-related industry groups and access to knowledge, health and environment activists.

Presents a content analysis of state-level statutes on immigrant and refugee intimate partner violence Compares the extent to which various intimate partner violence statutes applied to immigrant and refugee communities employ surveillance, control opportunities for protection, acknowledge diversity and foster inclusion, embody empathy, and cultivate empowerment An original and timely resource for researchers, students, scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders focusing on the important nexus of immigration and criminal justice law

By studying the negotiations which led to the conclusion of the original Treaty of Rome and the creation of the European Economic Community, this informative book, based on recently released archival sources, analyses the Franco-German bargain which shaped the Community's initial framework and policies. This is not just another book about Franco-German relations and the founding of the European Union. It presents a new theoretical framework which relates the founding of the European Community to its later development. An attempt to apply the ideational framework of the original Community to later developments, such as the single market and the Treaty on European Union, finds that the Union is still shaped by many of the ideas of the founding fathers. Birthmarks of Europe will be useful to teachers and students of the history and politics of the European Union, as well as to those studying the dynamics of the development of other regional integration networks.

The COVID-19 pandemic not only ravaged human bodies but also had profound and possibly enduring effects on the health of political and legal systems, economies and societies. Almost overnight, governments imposed the severest restrictions in modern times on rights and freedoms, elections, parliaments and courts. Legal and political institutions struggled to adapt, creating a catalyst for democratic decline and catastrophic increases in poverty and inequality. This handbook analyses the global pandemic response through five themes: governance and democracy; human rights; the rule of law; science, public trust and decision making; and states of emergency and exception. Containing 12 thematic commentaries and 25 chapters on countries of diverse size, wealth and experience of COVID-19, it represents the combined effort of more than 50 contributors, including leading scholars and rising voices in the fields of constitutional, international, public health, human rights and comparative law, as well as political science, and science and technology studies. Taking stock after the onset of global emergency, this book provides essential analysis for politicians, policy-makers, jurists, civil society organisations, academics, students and practitioners at both national and international level on the best, and most concerning, practices adopted in response to COVID-19 - and key insights into how states and multilateral institutions should reform, adapt and prepare for future emergencies.

The European Court of Human Rights has been a vital part of European democratic consolidation and integration for over half a century, setting meaningful standards and offering legal remedies to the individually repressed, the politically vulnerable, and the socially excluded. After their emancipation from Soviet influence in the 1990s, and with membership of the European Union in mind for many, the new democracies of central and eastern Europe flocked to the Convention system. However, now the gold rush' is over, the Court's position in the New Europe' is under threat. Its ability to decide cases promptly is almost fatally compromised, and the reform of its institutional architecture is effectively blocked by Russia. The time is right to take stock, to benefit from hindsight, and to consider how the Court can respond to the situation. This book examines the case law of the European Court of Human Rights with particular reference to democratic transitions in Europe and the consequent enlargement of the European Convention system. Focusing firmly on the substantive jurisprudence of the Court, the book analyses how it has responded to the difficult and distinct circumstances presented by the new Contracting Parties. Faced with different stages of, and commitments to, democratic transition, how has the Court reacted to such diversity whilst maintaining the universality of human rights -- and how is this reflected in its judgments? The book tackles this question by matching rigorous doctrinal analysis of the case law with new developments in critical thinking. The cases are viewed through the prism of jurisprudence and political philosophy, with links made to European political integration and other international human rights systems. The book offers an original explanation of the Court's predicament by drawing upon thick' and thin' notions of morality and tying this to notions of essential contestability.

This collection documents, analyses, and reflects on the Icelandic constitutional reform between 2009 and 2017. It offers a unique insight into this process by providing first-hand accounts of its different stages and core issues. Its 12 substantive chapters are written by the main actors in the reform, including the Chair of the Constitutional Council that drafted the 2011 Proposal for a New Constitution. Part I opens with an address by the President of the Republic and positions the constitutional reform in its full complexity and longer-term perspective, going beyond the frequent portrayal of that process in international discussion as being solely a result of the 2008 financial crisis. Part II offers a nuanced and contextualised reflection on Iceland's innovative approach to consultation and drafting involving lay participants, including its twenty-first-century digital take on 'the people,' which attracted international attention as 'crowdsourcing.' Part III analyses the main constitutional amendment proposals, and focuses on natural resources and environmental protection, which lie at the heart of Iceland's identity. The final part reflects on the reform's wider significance and includes an interview with the current Prime Minister, who is now taking the reform forward. The volume provides a basis for reflection on a groundbreaking constitutional reform in a democratic context. This long and complex process has challenged and transformed the ways in which constitutional change can be approached, and the collection is an invitation to discuss further the practical and theoretical dimensions of Iceland's experience and their far-reaching implications.

First published in 1989, Michael's Foley's book deals with the 'abeyances' present in both written and unwritten constitutions, arguing that these gaps in the explicitness of a constitution, and the various ways they are preserved, provide the means by which constitutional conflict is continually postponed. Abeyances are valuable, therefore, not in spite of their obscurity, but because of it. The author illustrates his point with analyses of constitutional crises from both sides of the Atlantic. He examines the period leading up to the English civil war in the seventeenth century, and the 'imperial presidency' episode under Richard Nixon in the late 1960s and 1970s in the USA. In both cases there was no constitutionally correct solution available but, as the author demonstrates, the political skill of the participants in their use of constitutional devices allowed the anomalies of the American system to survive in a way that contrasted markedly with the plight of Charles I and the Stuart constitution. This reissue of a landmark study will be welcomed by all those interested in the interpretation and construction of constitutional law.