Deliver Us from Evil, by William Shawcross

Reviewed by Rachel Stoll

William Shawcross brings a journalistic writing style and an “on the ground” approach to Deliver Us from Evil: Peacekeepers, Warlords and a World of Endless Conflict, which offers an account of humanitarian interventions in a Post Cold-War world. Filled with informal interviews and insight from former Secretary Generals and world leaders, Shawcross provides a unique insight into the politics and atrocities of the UN peacekeeping operations through the 1990s in nations such as Cambodia, East Timor, Kosovo, and Yugoslavia.

Most of political insight comes straight from United Nations staff members and specifically Secretary General Annan, who was handling political treaties and operations through the decade. They witnessed the brutal living conditions and executions that took place throughout the world and the political games happening in the background, most of which involved Security Council power plays and creating new terms for “genocide” in resolutions.

Shawcross’s approach and writing style is what makes the book stand out in a growing field of literature on humanitarian interventions. The anecdotes about conversations and power holding among representatives sheds considerable light on how decisions are made and treaties between nations occur. After stories about human rights issues and state representatives unwilling to do what is necessary, Deliver Us from Evil comes to an appropriate and semi-neutral conclusion.

This book is recommended for people interested in politics, human rights, and genocide. Shawcross’s Deliver us from Evil is accessible and definitely a stand-out in humanitarian intervention literature.