A deeply-researched eye-opening account of the interaction between U.S. imperialism and Pan-American aspirations in the making of international law in the Western Hemisphere. It offers a new angle into perennial inquiries about U.S.-Latin American relations, and a model for transnational intellectual history.
Jose C. Moya, Professor of History, Barnard College, Columbia University
The Hidden History of International Law ... Read morein the Americas is an important contribution to the interwoven history of imperialism and international law. Juan-Pablo Scarfi has performed a valuable service by un-ravelling the complex network of individuals, institutions, and ideas that helped to legitimate the dominance of the United States in the Western Hemisphere during the early twentieth century.
Duncan Bell, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge
Juan Pablo Scarfi has provided a fascinating and detailed insight into the interplay between international law and politics during the crucial half-century preceding World War II. He sheds valuable new light on U.S.-Latin American relations during that period, and especially on the controversies over the Monroe Doctrine.
Stephen C. Neff, School of Law, University of Edinburgh
In reconstructing the ideology of Pan-Americanism, Juan Pablo Scarfi has shown how international law helps establish and secure hegemonic relations while also providing tools for those who might struggle to disturb them. With his insights into how and why the United States associated itself with international law from the nineteenth century on, Scarfi also recovers how the agenda of Latin Americans, notably Alejandro Alvarez, shaped outcomes. A brilliant debut.
Samuel Moyn, Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law and Professor of History, Harvard University
In a remarkable and thoughtful book, Juan Pablo Scarfi examines what he calls the 'hidden history' of international law in the Americas in the early twentieth century... combines international and intellectual historyfocuses on the ideas, careers and interactions of several prominent international lawyers.
Tom Long (University of Warwick), International Affairs Book Reviews
Scarfi has provided thus far, possibly the most complete and detailed history of how international law evolved in the American continent.
Andre Nunes Chaib, Journal of the History of International Law
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