Acknowledgments

This book is that rarest of works, breathed into being by an enormous number of people who agreed it was urgently needed. For our editors, legal advisers, expert readers, and, most of all, our writers, who worked for a pittance and suffered through double editing and repeated requests for rewrites, it was clearly a labor of love, and there is no way to thank them adequately. At the same time, we are deeply grateful to the individuals and institutions who provided the funding and facilities to do the job.

Herbert and Marion Sandler and The Sandler Family Supporting Foundation quickly saw the potential and stepped forward with the funds that enabled us to launch the project. The Ford Foundation, through the efforts of Larry Cox, our program officer, provided the rest of the budget, permitting completion in the shortest possible time.

Sanford J. Ungar, dean of the American University School of Communication, graciously provided an office and every possible form of administrative support with the help of assistant dean, Patrick Martin. Claudio Grossman, dean of AU’s Washington College of Law, enthusiastically supported the involvement by WCL’s unique faculty. Professor Diane Orentlicher threw herself behind the project and, aided by the WCL War Crimes Research Office and a grant from the Open Society Institute, organized a conference in October 1996 that helped determine our agenda; she suggested authors, critiqued plans, and closely supervised a large portion of the articles. WCL Professor Kenneth Anderson took on the enormous task of legal editing, and Professor Robert Kogod Goldman was a source of solid advice throughout. The War Crimes office with OSI funding sponsored the legal research by Ewen Allison, an indefatigable WCL graduate who put himself on call around the clock and had the assistance of Deans’ Fellows, Mair McCafferty and C. Jeffrey Tibbels.

Eric Stover, former executive director of Physicians for Human Rights, organized a critical second conference in April 1997 at the Human Rights Center he heads at Berkeley. He brought clarity of purpose to every strategic moment and played a central role in obtaining funding. Aryeh Neier, President of the Open Society Institute gave wise counsel at both conferences, offered moral support when it was most needed, and also critiqued a number of articles. Anna Cataldi, the Italian writer, assembled the journalists, photographers, and legal scholars for our first brainstorming session and prodded and promoted our efforts from beginning to end.

It was essential in a book combining law and journalism that we strive to meet the standards of both professions. Maj. Gen. (ret.) A. P. V. Rogers of the British Army, our consultant on military law, undertook a detailed legal review. Louise Doswold-Beck, Urs Boegli, and Jean-Francois Berger of the International Committee of the Red Cross read the text and made useful suggestions. Lt. Col. Scott Morris of the U.S. Judge Advocate-General corps and Lt. Col. (ret.) H. Wayne Elliott, a former chief of the JAG international law division, gave us valuable criticism and encouragement. Jim Toedtman, Newsday’s Washington bureau chief, made numerous helpful suggestions. Thom Shanker of The New York Times edited the three articles on sexual violence and read the final text. Views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not represent the position of any government, institution, or organization, nor our expert readers. Editorial judgments are the responsibility of the writers and editors.

Tremendous energy and time went into photo-editing and design. Sheryl Mendez broke off work on two projects in the Middle East to join the project as photo editor and researcher, a task to which she brought visual and political astuteness, moral commitment, and astonishing drive. Brooke Hellewell, our unflappable deputy design editor, was a key player, whose formidable design and organizational skills were matched by her stamina.

Peggy Lampl, our long-suffering project manager, defused every crisis, and played a key role in editing. One of our luckiest breaks was the appearance of Alan Dorsey, former librarian for the ICRC in New York, who had begun graduate studies at AU. Serving as deputy project manager, he brought invaluable experience and knowledge of IHL, and imposed order on the project and our office.

Ron Goldfarb, our committed literary agent, stayed on as general counsel in future project activities. Tabitha Griffin, our editor at W. W. Norton, gave us constructive criticism and enthusiastic support. Carole Kismaric advised us at crucial early moments on budget and organization. Professor Brad Blitz of Lewis & Clark College, Evelyn Leopold of Reuters, Ian Williams of The Nation, Chuck Lane of The New Republic, Tom Gjelten of National Public Radio, and Michael Muskal and Jim Dooley of Newsday, provided wise guidance.

Newsday editor Anthony Marro, A.M.E. Les Payne, foreign editor Tim Phelps, and Washington news editor Anne Hoy enthusiastically backed the book and tolerated my absences. And on a personal note, truly special thanks go to my patient wife, Betsy, and daughter, Caroline, who let me give up practically every evening, weekend, and vacation day for eighteen months.

Every participant and every outside supporter made a difference. I hope each will look on the finished product with pride, bearing in mind that the educational effort to be built around the book is still a work in progress.

—Roy Gutman