| The Verdict of Battle: The Law of Victory and the Making of Modern War Subjects: War -- Moral and ethical aspects; Combat -- Moral and ethical aspects; Battles -- Europe -- History -- 18th century; Military art and science -- Europe -- History -- 18th century; War (International law); Military ethics -- History -- 18th century; Milita; Today, war is considered a last resort for resolving disagreements. But a day of staged slaughter on the battlefield was once seen as a legitimate means of settling political disputes. James Whitman argues that pitched battle was essentially a trial with a lawful verdict. And when this contained form of battle ceased to exist, the law of victory gave way to the rule of unbridled force. The Verdict of Battle explains why the ritualized violence of the past was more effective than modern warfare in bringing carnage to an end, and why humanitarian laws that cling to a notion of war as evil have led to longer, more barbaric conflicts. James Q. Whitman is Ford Foundation Professor of Comparative and Foreign Law at Yale Law School. |