Books by Alain Finkielkraut

The author argues that the Barbie trial attests to the failure of international society to take responsibility for crimes of the state. He maintains that trying Barbie for actions on which the statute of limitations had run out blurred the definition of crimes against humanity.

An unsettling reflection on the twentieth century in its twilight hours in which we are asked to rethink our assumptions about universalism and humanism. While many people look to humanist ideals as a deterrent to nationalist chauvinism, Finkielkraut challenges the abstract idea of universalism by describing the terrible crimes "civilized" Europe has committed in its name.