This book examines some of the most shattering events in recent history, from the annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to mass murder in Sabra and Shatila, from the hijacking of the Achille Lauro" to torture and murder by officials of the state. In each case, Cassese tries to understand why states - Nietzsche"s cold-hearted monsters" - acted as they did, and what this bodes for the future. Cassese also raises questions of a more general legal and political kind: why do states use force with impunity? Is the first use of nuclear weapons prohibited by international law, and if not, why not? Should one obey superior orders and perform a criminal act, as Abraham was prepared to do, or should one respect the moral laws of one"s people, as Antigone did? The picture of world events is vivid, Cassese"s analysis is clear and provocative. This is a book not only for students of politics, law and international affairs, but also for general readers who wish to watch the antics of the state with their eyes wide open. Violence and Law in the "Modern Age" was awarded the Amnesty International Cesare Pogliano" Prize for 1986.