Systemic Violence of the Law

Reviews / Votes

By placing systemic violence at the center of the evolution of investment protection, Prieto-Rios shows how the investor-state dispute settlement system creates a complex legal, institutional and ideological apparatus that foments exclusion, and facilitates social and political control. This a passionate, rigorous, and timely indictment of international investment law, that exposes the limits of a reformist agenda emerging from within the investment regime. -- Rene Uruena, associate professor of law, Universidad de los Andes Enrique Prieto-Rios' latest contribution is a thought-provoking book that challenges the global understanding of international investment law, by framing it under the prism of systemic violence and addressing its role in the perpetual domination of the developing world through international economic structures. At a time when the global status quo is under thorough examination, this work is a welcome reflection on the lingering challenges for international economic law in a society that aims to move in the direction of sustainable development and equality for all. -- Humberto Cantu Rivera, professor of law, University of Monterrey This book convincingly contests the dominant narrative on the system of International Investment Law, and proposes a radical alternative interpretation: that this system is an instrument of systemic violence. Combining a deep understanding of the relevant positive law with a striking grasp of critical literature, this book offers an extremely relevant critique of one of the main tools of neoliberalism. -- Remi Bachand, professor of international law, University of Quebec