Torture Team author Philippe Sands has long argued that former Bush administration lawyer John Yoo facilitated violations of international law and Geneva Conventions, and must be held accountable for crimes against humanity. As must Donald Trump, whose Supreme Court has granted presidents almost blanket immunity.
The Trump administration feels unconstrained by existing laws and norms -- a key aspect of authoritarian and ultranationalist political ideology. Yet despite today's advance of American fascism Sands refuses to give in to despair, saying "I firmly believe that the arc of history will follow the arc of justice." He has come to believe that the law isn't the only avenue for establishing truth and accountability, or necessarily always the best one.
"Being a lawyer had taught Sands the limits of the law," observed Michael Steinberger. "Being an author had given him even greater appreciation for the power of the written word, and he now thought that books could sometimes be a more effective instrument in the pursuit of redress... In any situation in which a civilian population has been brutalized, the crimes must be acknowledged."
"You have to find a way to address what happened," said Sands.
