New Book Examines the Dark Side of the Rule of Law

Plunder: When the Rule of Law is Illegal (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008) dares to ask the paradoxical question - is the Rule of Law itself illegal?  The authors, Ugo Mattei (Hastings and Turin) and Laura Nader (Berkeley) expose global examples of plunder: of Native American lands, to the plunder of oil in Iraq; of ideas in the form of Western patents and intellectual property rights imposed on weaker peoples; and of liberty and the demise of Rule of Law in the U.S. "Even if we do not call it by its old name--imperialism--but globalization, free trade, or spreading democracy, the result is the same. And at the heart of this aggressively acquisitive policy lies a crown jewel of Enlightenment thought, the rule of law. A gripping read." Richard Delgado (Pittsburgh). Hat tip to Tom Ginsburg (Chicago), Law & Development Blog. [JH]