8 Quotes by Philippe Sands

It affirmed that international law was not only law 'between States' but 'also the law of mankind'. Those who transgressed it would have no immunity, even if they were leaders, a reflection of the 'outraged conscience of the world'.

Global rules matter, and I think global rules have contributed in a very large way to American power in the world.

It is clear they (Bush and Blair) knew they weren't going to find any evidence (of nuclear weapons) through inspection. The memo is significant because it indicates the clear indecision of the decision-making process.

First Manning memo. From a legal perspective, one wants some hard evidence that something is there.

The story that emerges is that President Bush decides very early that he's going to get rid of Saddam Hussein.

America has been in a state of fearfulness since Sept. 11 (2001) -- that fear has been able to squelch the debate -- if you're not with us, you're against us, says the administration. Americans should have responded more forcefully.

Why had I chosen the path of the law? And why law of the kind that seemed to be connected to an unspoken family history? ‘What haunts are not the dead, but the gaps left within us by the secrets of others,’ the psychoanalyst Nicolas Abraham wrote of the relationship between a grandchild and a grandparent. The invitation from Lviv was a chance to explore those haunting gaps.

Does the difference matter? someone else asked. Does it matter whether the law seeks to protect you because you are an individual or because of the group of which you happen to be a member? That question floated around the room, and it has remained with me ever since.