‘Jinee Lokaneeta brilliantly explores the hidden connection between excess violence and standard operating procedure of the liberal state in the United States and India, and by doing, situates the practice, persistence, and denial of torture in their contemporary political, legal, and cultural settings.’
- Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, USA
‘This ground-breaking comparative study of the United States and India testifies to the truth that all nations come as equal strangers to the tasks of prevention and punishment for torture, degrading, cruel, and inhumane treatment. Jinee Lokaneeta helps us understand why, and the tasks ahead. Amidst strident governance and adjudicatory cultures that seek to justify standardless use of force, Lokaneeta urges us all to take seriously governance accountability in the name of respect for human dignity and fundamental freedoms even in the times of “terror”. An indispensable work indeed, even for those inclined initially to think otherwise.’
- Upendra Baxi, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Warwick and University of Delhi
‘In an original and exciting argument, Lokaneeta suggests that what lies at the heart of the liberal democratic state is the attempt to accommodate and regulate “excess violence”. Dazzling in the range of materials it examines, challenging in its conclusions, this is an outstanding contribution to scholarship that recognizes violence to be integral to modern democracies rather than an aberration.’
- Nivedita Menon, Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, Jawaharlal Nehru University